Picking up the Pieces
by distantmuse
Summary: Addison was trying to put her life back together as a single woman, but instead, relationships blossomed... AddisonFinn and Addex. Whom did she choose? Friendships with Derek, Callie, Miranda, Richard, and Meredith. Family also visits. Ch. 29 is up!
1. Chapter 1

_We'll say that this takes place a little after Some Kind of Miracle (02/22) and that Meredith is alive and everything's fine from that angle. This fic is going to be about Addison putting her life back together after her divorce. There will be men, but I also want to focus on her friendships and on her character... So, enjoy and feel free to give feedback. :)_

_**Disclaimer:** I am doing this for fun, not profit. I don't own anything. If I did, I would have a big house in Europe instead of a tiny one-bedroom apartment. :)_

* * *

After a particularly long night at work, Addison exited the front doors of Seattle Grace, grateful to be finally going home to get some rest. Raindrops were pounding the pavement hard and splashing back up again. Addison sighed and popped her umbrella up. She was about to brave the rain when she heard a pitiful cry. Her head turned automatically towards the sound. It seemed to be coming from under a bench.

Addison sighed and set her umbrella aside. She carefully got on her hands and knees, and tilted her head to the side to look under the bench. "This better be something important…" she mumbled. Crawling around on the pavement in Chanel wasn't her idea of a good time.

Two tall triangles sat atop a tiny fuzzy head, looking a bit disproportionate. A pair of cool blue eyes peered out at Addison, who extended her hand, palm up. The kitten shrank back in fear.

"Shhh… I won't hurt you," Addison said, patiently letting her hand rest on the pavement in front of the kitten. "I know what it's like to be lonely and scared, too…"

The kitten's dark brown nose nudged Addison's hand with curiosity. Addison giggled as the kitten extended a pink tongue to lick her hand. She'd earned its trust, so she gently reached under the bench and pulled it out.

It was a chocolate point Siamese kitten. Addison had one when she was a small child and she had loved it dearly. Siamese cats were known for their intelligence and affectionate natures, especially towards a favorite human. Addison loved them.

She gently turned the kitten over, examining it. A little girl. She gasped a little when she found a gaping cut on the kitten's stomach,

"It's okay, little girl… You'll be okay. I know exactly where I can take you." She clutched the kitten against her chest with one hand, put the umbrella back up over her head.

* * *

"She'll be just fine," Finn said, "No internal injuries. Just some stitches. You can take her home now, if you want."

"Oh no… See, I've been staying at a hotel and I can't take her there." Addison sighed.

"I can keep her here for a few days, if you want, while you try to find her owner." Finn offered.

Addison gave him a grateful look. "That would be great. I would appreciate that so much. Thank you."

"No problem," Finn smiled. "Listen, I uh… I know you just got divorced. But, would you ever consider going out sometime?"

Addison was Gucci and Jimmy Choos. Meredith was old Dartmouth t-shirts and Converses. Addison spent over an hour getting ready everyday. Meredith usually looked like she just fell out of bed. Addison didn't understand how two men could be attracted to both of them when they were so different.

Finn was nice. It had been a while since Addison had dated "nice." Derek had been nice, up until the last couple of years of her marriage. Mark had been nice to her, except when he cheated on her, but he couldn't really be considered a nice person. And Karev, well, he'd already said he didn't want to date her. "Nice" could be interesting.

"Sure." Addison smiled back at him. "That would be fun… I'm kind of booked through the next couple of days, though."

"How's Friday?" Finn asked.

"Friday's great. I'll see you then. Hopefully, I'll find this little girl's parents by then." Addison said, reaching under the cat's chin to scratch. "Bye, sweetie… I'll try to find your owners."

"I'll take good care of her." Finn promised.

"I'm sure you will. Thank you for everything." Addison left his office, smiling a little.

It was good to be wanted. It gave her confidence to know that a man found her attractive, and wanted to go out on a date with her. She walked back to a car with a little more spring in her step.

Damn. She and Meredith Grey really had to stop sharing men.

_What do you think:) I know it's kind of a different pairing, but what can I say, I wanted to be different. Please review. Up next, we'll have some Callie/Addison friendship moments and possibly a date._


	2. Chapter 2

Addison sighed and stared at the flyer she had posted on the hospital message board, with a picture of the kitten on it. It was Wednesday. It had been four days, and she still hadn't found her owners.

What was she going to do? She couldn't take the kitten in herself.

Or maybe she could. She couldn't live in a hotel for the rest of her life. She had suffered with the lack of closet space for long enough. She could find a place, buy some furniture, start over.

A flyer for a realtor stood out on the message board. The bottom of the flyer was sliced into tabs, each with a phone number. Without a second thought, Addison ripped one of the numbers off and headed back to her office to call.

* * *

"I'll be showing you several condos today, but this is one of my favorites." The realtor, Kathy, said as she unlocked the door to the first condo.

It had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. All of the floors were done in hardwood. The living room had tons of floor space, and a window seat that over looked a park, which made her happy, because it reminded her a little of New York. The kitchen was well-equipped with the latest in stainless steel appliances, which didn't really matter, since Addison rarely cooked, but still looked nice. After walking around for a few minutes, she fell in love.

"I'll take it." Addison said.

Afterward, she couldn't believe she'd done it. She'd never been that impulsive before in her life. She didn't know who was more surprised; her or the realtor.

* * *

Addison decided to move immediately. Fortunately, she had the next day off to do it. Callie was excited to hear that Addison had gotten a place, and was eager to help her get settled. They spent the morning furniture shopping, where Addison paid heavily for same-day delivery. She wanted her new life to start as soon as possible.

"This place is great…" Callie kept looking around, taking it in. "I wish George and I could find something like this that we could afford."

"You guys will find something soon, I'm sure… I'd be glad to help you." Addison offered. "Sometime when I can get a couple of days off, I'm going to paint… Whenever will be."

"Umm… Addison. Your purse is… Moving?" Callie stared at the tote.

"Oh! I didn't tell you!" Addison's face broke into a grin, and she opened the tote, allowing Callie to peer inside at the tiny ball of fuzz. "This is Soleil."

"Soleil?"

"It's French for sun."

"French? You speak French?" Callie was learning all sorts of interesting things about her friend that day.

"Yeah, I spent a summer at the Sorbonne during my undergrad." Addison set Soleil on the ground, and watched the kitten explore her new home.

"And you bought it… I mean, uh… Soleil… A Coach pet carrier…" Callie was trying to process this information. Surely, Addison had finally snapped from all of the divorce stress.

Callie finally looked around and noticed all of the cat stuff Addison had filled her apartment with. She stared in disbelief at the cat's bed. It was nicer than any bed she had ever slept in, with a red crushed velvet cushion and gold posts. Posts! On a cat bed! Callie couldn't believe it. Next to the bed was rhinestone studded pet dish. Various toys were scattered next to the bed. Soleil had chosen a hot pink mouse to bat at.

"You're one of THOSE pet people, huh?"

Addison shrugged. It wasn't like she had anyone else to spend her seven figure salary on.

"This place just looked so… Empty." Addison sat down on the couch and hugged a beaded throw pillow to her chest. "I had to fill it with something."

"You're not going to turn into a crazy cat lady on me… Are you, Addi?" Callie asked carefully.

Addison rolled her eyes. "No… It's just… It's nice to have someone to come home to, you know?"

Callie sat down on the couch beside her. "What about this date you have tomorrow?"

"I don't know. Finn's really nice. I haven't had nice in a while, you know? I thought it was worth a shot… It might be fun to date someone I don't have to look at all day at the hospital."

"The gossip mill would certainly grind less, that's for sure." Callie said thoughtfully. "Though, maybe not, since it's Meredith Grey's ex-boyfriend. What is it with you guys having the same taste in men?"

Addison laughed and threw her head back on the couch so she was looking up at the ceiling. "I wish I knew."

_Next up, the date!_


	3. Chapter 3

"So, I heard that McHot found a McKitty and took it to McVet and they're going on a date tonight." Cristina announced on Friday as she set her lunch tray down.

"Wait, now who was McHot again?" George scratched his head.

"Addison. Duh." Cristina tore into her carton of milk.

"I thought she was Satan?" George asked.

"Well, I upgraded her to Alex's nickname after she helped with the whole Meredith drowning thing." Cristina explained.

"Why would she want to go out with a guy who sticks thermometers up dog's asses?" Alex said. He tried not to let his annoyance with the situation show.

"Why do you care?" Izzie challenged.

"I don't." Alex muttered, shoving his chicken salad sandwich back into his mouth so that he wouldn't be forced to answer any further questions.

George looked over his shoulder to see Meredith coming towards them. "Uh oh… Do you think we should tell her?"

"Doesn't look like we have to. Addison's going over to her." Cristina noticed.

The four glued their eyes to the interaction between the two women.

"I just wanted to let you know before you heard somewhere else that Finn asked me out on a date, and I told him I would go, but I don't know if I really like him or anything, it's just a date so…" Addison babbled.

Meredith laughed a bit at the ridiculous politeness of the situation. "You know… I'm dating your ex-husband, Dr. Montgomery… And you're asking me if I'm okay with you going on a date with someone I never even slept with?"

Addison had to laugh, too. "I just don't want people thinking we're going to duke it out under the willow trees after lunch or anything… So I thought I'd let you know." Addison turned to walk away.

"Hey… Addison?"

Addison spun on her high heel. "Yeah?"

"Finn's a nice guy. He deserves a hot date. You deserve to be happy, you know." Meredith smiled.

Addison smiled back. She liked Meredith. Sometimes she hated that she liked her, but, there it was anyway. "Thanks."

* * *

Ironic, wasn't it? That she was dating the vet. She bitterly remembered the conversation, well, yelling match that she had with Derek in the middle of the hospital about how she should date the vet to make him jealous, but that it wouldn't work because she wasn't Meredith. Now, she was going out with him for her own reasons. She wasn't trying to make Derek jealous or get him back. Truth be told, she didn't even want to be with Derek anymore. He loved someone else. He hadn't looked at her the way he looked at Meredith in years. She needed a fresh start, without hurt feelings and secrets and betrayal. And she definitely needed to get away from the men of Seattle Grace Hospital…

Finn wasn't exactly her type. Or was he? Damn, she hardly remembered what her type was. The dating thing was somewhat new to her. She hadn't done it for 15 years. She'd hated it then, and she wasn't sure she'd like it much better now that she was older. Addison was the kind of person who had long-term relationships, not the type to play the field at all.

Was part of his appeal that he had been Meredith's? Addison hated to think that she was that shallow, but maybe she was.

Addison dressed in a little black Prada dress, and added a single strand of pearls that her father had given her long ago to the ensemble. Any jewelry that Derek had given her over the years was tossed carelessly in her vanity drawer, to be avoided. She'd curled her copper locks and combed them out so that they fell in waves that skimmed her shoulders. Her hair was her best feature. She was smart enough to know that.

She looked in the mirror and suddenly felt like she was dressed for her sorority preference night almost twenty years ago instead of a first date. The dress came back off. Addison stared into her closet for a long moment before pulling out two dresses. Red? Maybe that would be too brazen for a first date? Gold? Well, it did compliment her hair nicely…

Soleil wandered into the room and made figure eights in and out of Addison's ankles, nearly tripping her. She rubbed her face against Addison's right leg. Addison looked at the gold dress she held in her right hand.

"You're right."

She couldn't believe she was taking arbitrary advice from her kitten, but she changed into the gold dress. The pearls stayed on. She had a thing for pearls. Must have been the former sorority girl in her.

She had barely finished getting ready when there was a knock at her door. A bouquet of daffodils greeted Addison when she opened it.

"Hey!" Finn said, sticking the flowers out for her. "You look… Stunning. These are for you, of course."

Addison smiled and took them from him. "Thank you."

"And these are for your kitten." He pulled a pouch of cat treats out of his jacket pocket.

Addison felt her heart melt a little bit. He brought her kitten treats. How sweet and thoughtful could the guy get?

"Thank you again, on her behalf." Addison smiled again, and then headed into the kitchen to get a vase for the flowers.

"What did you name her?" Finn had located the kitten and was scratching under her chin, causing the kitten to lift her face skyward.

"Soleil."

"Ahhh, sun."

"You speak French?" Addison was impressed.

"Yes…. Well, no. I can say hi, bye, bathroom, sun, sex, beer, and the equivalent of 'up yours.'"

Addison laughed. "Well, that's all of the important stuff."

"Your place looks great."

"Oh, thank you…" Addison looked around, "It's a work in progress. I'm going to paint it when I get some free time… If I ever get free time, that is."

"I must say that I never caught what your specialty is. I know that you're a surgeon, but what kind of surgery do you do?"

"My specialties are obstetrics, gynecology, neonatology, maternal/fetal medicine, and genetics." Addison expertly stated in one breath, having had lots of practice.

Finn blinked a few times. "Wow. How… How do you fit all of that on your business cards?"

Addison smiled. She liked him already.

"Shall we?" Finn offered his arm to her.

Addison took it, with another smile. What was it about this man that made her smile so much? "Absolutely."

* * *

The evening would have been considered perfect, by Cosmo's standards. Finn took her to one of the nicest restaurants in town. Italian food, her favorite. There was pasta, wine, dessert, and conversation that never felt awkward or forced. She couldn't believe they were hitting it off so well. Maybe she wouldn't be so bad at dating after all.

"What's your family like?" Finn asked.

"I have a sister, Caroline, who's back in New York. She's 24, and edits books. This," Addison held up a red lock of hair, "is about the only thing we have in common."

"I have an older brother who's a middle school teacher. We don't have much in common, either. My parents live about a half an hour outside of Seattle. They're both retired teachers. I'm the black sheep, you could say." Finn smiled.

"My parents are back in New York … My dad's a neurosurgeon… I know, I know… No Freudian comments, please… And my mom makes her career out of spending my dad's money."

"Do you and Derek have any children?"

"No… I was never ready."

Addison nervously ran her fingers up and down the stem of her wine glass. It always came up. The question of children always came up, one way or another, with family, friends, co-workers. She couldn't really blame them for asking. She _was_ a neonatal surgeon, Derek did have a big family, and they were married for eleven years.

The thing was, they _did_ have a child, two years before coming to Seattle. A beautiful baby girl, with her hair and Derek's eyes, who was with them for two wonderful days before she died of respiratory distress. Then, their marriage started to fall apart. Neither of them knew how to deal with the grief, and Derek's coping mechanism was work, leaving her alone with her pain.

She stopped telling people the truth. Instead, she gave them the line that she just "hadn't been ready." It was easier to deal with an understanding nod than a look of pity, followed by a gentle hand placed on her shoulder.

It didn't seem fair to try to carry Mark's baby when hers with Derek didn't survive. She couldn't do it. That's why the abortion. She wasn't strong enough to try again. Not so soon after. Would things have been different if their child had lived? She didn't know, but there wasn't a day that passed that she didn't wonder.

Finn sensed that he should change the subject. "But hey, Soleil must keep you busy enough as it is."

Addison laughed. "She does. She apparently decided that my Fendi bag was the enemy this morning and attacked it with scratches accordingly."

"Well, I must admit that I know nothing about designers, but 'Fendi' sounds expensive."

"Oh, it is…"

Surprisingly, it hadn't really bothered her when she'd seen the tiny claws tearing through $2,000 worth of Italian leather like it was newspaper. She'd only even yelled at the kitten because it was her duty as the owner. Really, the cat could have eaten the whole thing. She was just glad there was someone there to talk to, even if she was fuzzy, tiny, and unable to talk.

* * *

Once they finally left the restaurant, Finn drove her home and walked her to the door. A nervous moment hit Addison. Should she invite him in? Should she kiss him? Addison was glad when he solved the dilemma for her, by leaning in and giving her a gentle kiss on the lips. "I'll call you sometime," he promised.

Addison smiled. "I'd like that."

She stepped back into her condo and closed the door. Wow. He didn't even try anything with her. She could definitely get on board this one…

* * *

Richard sighed, a very difficult decision weighing on his shoulders. Selecting a candidate to replace him was harder than he thought it would be. He had resorted to pulling out their resumes, hoping that getting back to the basics would help. The procedures they'd pioneered, the research they'd published, the jobs they'd worked. They were all there. The pieces of paper didn't tell him anything, except that they were all the leaders in their specialties, which he knew already.

The resumes didn't tell him that they had all made messes of their personal lives, and that they had all been grain for the hospital rumor mill at one time or another. Even with the drama they were going through, he didn't doubt any of their abilities to function. No matter what they were going through personally, in the O.R., they were focused. In that room, they were probably saner than they were anywhere else.

Richard tossed Mark Sloan's to the side. The staff would never respect him. He was too cocky, too arrogant already. The last thing he needed was more power. Whatever messes the others made of their love lives, whatever scenes they created in the hospital, they were still highly respected by the staff as skilled surgeons.

Richard gave all three of the resumes one final glance, then picked one up and placed it in a folder to take to the meeting. That one would be his recommendation.


	4. Chapter 4

Alex Karev walked into Addison's office the next day, hoping for a surgery to scrub in on. Okay, so he was actually going to see what he could find out about her date with the vet, not that he ever would have admitted that.

"Hey, Dr. Montgomery… Do you have any surgeries for me to scrub in on today?"

"Yeah, I have a C-section at 4. The chart's around here somewhere. Let me look for it." Addison shuffled papers around her desk, in search of the chart.

"So… How was the date with Dr. Doggie?"

Addison tipped her glasses down her nose and stared him down with amusement. "You jealous, Karev?"

"Maybe I am."

Addison leaned against the side of her desk, arms crossed against her chest. "As I remember it, _you _were the one who rejected _me._"

"Maybe I changed my mind."

"Maybe I don't care anymore."

"You sure about that, Dr. Montgomery?"

Suddenly, his lips were on hers and his fingers were fumbling with the buttons of her blouse. In spite of herself, she was frantically yanking his pants down and pulling his scrub top off.

"Call me Addison."

Alex let his eyes slowly run up and down her body, admiring it. "God, you're gorgeous, Addison… And I see it's true what they say about redheads…" His impish grin overtook his features.

"Oh, Alex, shut u—"

He covered her lips with his again and pushed her down onto her desk. It was fun, playful sex that was unlike anything that Addison had experienced in a long time. Maybe not since college. Not that it wasn't passionate. Their bodies fit perfectly together, and the frustration behind the flirting they had been doing finally came to a powerful release.

They had barely finished when there was a knock at the door. "Addie?"

"That's the Chief!" Addison hissed, as she tried desperately to shimmy back into her pantyhose. "You have to hide!"

Alex's eyes widened and his eyes darted around the room, in search of a good hiding spot. Addison pushed him under the desk, kicking his scrubs to him. She peeked around the other side of the desk and examined it. Good, the wood it reached all the way to the floor. Richard wouldn't be able to see Alex.

Addison opened the door. "Oh, hi Richard!" She forced an extra note of cheerfulness into her voice.

Richard eyed her and stepped into her office. "Uhh… Addie… I think you… I think your shirt is buttoned… Crooked. Your bra… It's…" He cleared his throat.

Mortified, Addison dashed behind her desk and turned to face away from the Chief. quickly un-buttoning and re-buttoning her blouse. Great. Now her mentor, who had always been like a father to her, knew that she had a thing for black lace lingerie.

"I was coming to give you some news."

"What's that?" Addison turned back around, trying inconspicuously to smooth the wrinkles out of her blouse.

"The board has chosen you to replace me as Chief of Surgery."

Addison's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

She rushed around the other side of the desk to embrace Richard. In the process, she felt her high heel dig into something softer than the floor.

"YEOWCH!" Alex bellowed from under the desk.

Richard arched a brow. "What the hell was that?"

"Um… Nothing, it must have come from a patient's room down the hall." Addison lied.

Richard looked at her suspiciously. She could tell he didn't believe her, at all, but he didn't press the issue. "You have a few days to think about this, but I'll need an answer by the end of the week."

Addison nodded. "Yes, of course… Thank you… I'm honored that you thought of me."

Richard shrugged. "You're the best qualified. I do hope that you will accept. If you want to talk more about it, I'll be in my office."

"Okay. Thanks again."

Richard left the office. Addison shut the door and locked it behind him.

"All right, the coast is clear now…"

Alex climbed out from under her desk, clutching his wounded hand, but smirking.

"What are you so giddy about?"

"I just boinked the Chief of Surgery!" Alex stated proudly.

"No, no, no, no, no… If I'm Chief, then this…" she gestured between them, "Is over."

Alex smiled slyly and wrapped an arm around her waist. "But we just got started…"

Addison broke away and began pacing her office. "I can't be Chief of Surgery and have sex with an intern."

"Why not? Two of the other candidates have sex with their interns all the time!"

"I… It…" Her head suddenly hurt. She rubbed her temples. "Alex, I need some time to figure all of this out."

He planted a kiss on her forehead. "I understand. Take the time you need. But watch what you do with those high heels. You could probably kill someone!"

Her hand flew to her hip. "Get out of here before you find that out for sure!"

Alex put his hands up in surrender. "I'm going, I'm going." He slipped out.

She closed the door behind him and sank to the floor, beating the back of her head against her office door. What was she doing?

"Have I really become this much of a slut?" Addison asked herself, then groaned and let her head drop into her hands.

_Next, I think I'm going to have some Addison/Callie/Bailey friendship time. :) Any suggestions or comments are welcome!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Wow, I don't know what to do. Some of you want her with Alex, others are mad that I took her away from Finn. Your reviews will help shape the story! Until I figure out what to do, I'm going to stall with some girl time. :) I "wrote" this in my head on the very boring and lonely 2 ½ hour drive home from my college yesterday._

_As we all know, time is a little screwy on Grey's Anatomy. I'm going to assume for the purposes of my story that Addison has been in Seattle for about 7 months or so. (Which seems about right, according to Six Days, pt. 2)_

_Oh, and note that Callie's opinions on sex/virginity are not those of the author. :) Enjoy!_

"Pomegranate martinis? Oo la la! You really are a New Yorker," Callie grinned, taking the martini glass filled with the dark red liquid and carefully rimmed with pink sugar. "I would have been just as content with a bottle of beer, but this is cool, too."

It was girls' night at Addison's condo. Her mother had finally sent her things from New York, and Callie and Miranda had offered to help her unpack and get her new place in order. The hostess had prepared for the occasion with a true cosmopolitan flair – martinis, brie en croute, and bruschetta.

"I slept with Alex." Addison blurted out.

Callie nearly choked on her martini. "You slept with Alex while on your date with Finn?!"

"I had sex with him in my office… A few hours ago."

"So that's why you have that sparkle in your eye…" Callie smirked from her spot on the floor.

"You had sex with who in your office?" Miranda, who had just returned from the restroom, took a seat beside Addison on the couch.

"Karev." Addison mumbled quietly, and recoiled from Miranda, afraid the shorter woman might hurt her.

Miranda sighed and repeated the phrase she'd become infamous for. "Why is it always my interns? MY interns? How did I get stuck with a group of people with no common sense at all?" Miranda ranted, "All they ever do is sleep with their superiors! Hell, I'm glad I'm married… Otherwise, they might be trying to sleep with me. Though some of them, I guess being married doesn't change anyth—" Miranda stopped and glanced at Addison. "Sorry."

Addison waved her hand dismissively. "Forget it."

"Maybe it's because they're hot?" Callie licked her lips and winked at Miranda. "Go, Addie! He is one tasty little dish…"

"But do you not see that this makes me a slut? I went out with Finn last night, and had sex with Alex today."

"Did you have sex with Finn, too?" Miranda asked.

"No."

"Then you're only kind of a slut." Callie confirmed, "So… How was he?"

Miranda groaned. "I don't think I want to hear this."

"He was… Fun."

"Fun?" Callie quirked a brow. 

"I meant it in a complimentary way."

"He doesn't still have syphilis… Right?" Miranda asked.

"Of course he doesn't! Geez!"

"Tell me you made him wrap it up, because I can't handle any Addexs or Alexsons running around…" Miranda shuddered at the thought.

"Yes… He came prepared. I think he walked into my office with every intention of seducing me."

"Nice!" Callie flashed a thumb's up.

"What is it with you and doctors? Is your father a doctor or something?" Miranda joked.

"Yes."

"Oh. What kind?"

Addison hesitated, because she knew what was coming. "A… Neurosurgeon."

Callie rolled on the floor with laughter. "You've got to be kidding me! Oh, I wish I were a psychiatrist right now. I would seriously have a field day with this."

Addison hurled a throw pillow at Callie's head. Callie laughed when it hit her in the side of the face, and threw it back.

"Why do you fall into traps with the bad boys so much?" Miranda shook her head.

"I have _no_ idea. I like nice men, I swear!"

"Let's track your dating history!" Callie's eyes lit up and she clapped her hands.

"Excuse me?" Addison tilted her head.

"We'll go over every guy that you ever dated, and try to figure out where this bad boy complex came from." Callie sat up a little straighter, ready to spring into action. "Let's start with the first guy who stuck his hand up your shirt. I mean, that's a pretty big milestone."

Addison sighed and rolled her eyes, but had enjoyed enough vodka to play along. "Will Parker on a charter bus on a school ski trip. Very romantic." Addison said, sarcastically. "Though I did buy a black velvet bra in anticipation of the important occasion."

"You didn't!" Callie exclaimed, "That's so… Sad and lame at the same time."

"Tell me about it. He dumped me after a year and a half because he was cool and I wasn't cool enough."

"Oh, yeah right." Miranda scoffed.

"No, seriously. I played the clarinet, had braces… It was bad. I didn't have a boyfriend for a long time after that."

"Okay, so who was next?" Callie prodded.

"Skippy Gold, my prom date… He had extremely bad acne and a bad personality. Oh, and he talked about Star Wars. A lot."

"Oh, all guys were obsessed with Star Wars back then." Miranda said. She had pulled Soleil onto her lap and was scratching between her ears.

"No, you don't understand. When he finally got married, he carried a lightsaber and his girlfriend wore her hair like this," Addison split her hair into two ponytails and rolled them up similar to honey buns, like Princess Leia's.

"Oh my… I don't even know what to say to that one." Miranda shook her head.

"Then there was Andrew Von, the frat guy that I basically had to date for a couple of years because I was in a sorority, and he was in the fraternity that we happened to like… So that just got set up for us."

Miranda snorted. "You were in a sorority?"

"Oh, please! The daily eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, lip liner, lipstick, blush, perfect hair, manicured nails, designer clothes, and high heels, all for 14-hour shifts in a hospital, didn't tip you off? She SCREAMS 'sorority girl' from a mile away!" Callie exclaimed. "What I want to know is how you look that perfect ALL DAY. It's ridiculous!"

"Eh, who cares about her beauty tips? Let's move on to the good stuff. I want to hear about who you lost your virginity to." Miranda said.

"Ooo, yeah! That's definitely important." Callie nodded her approval at Miranda's request.

Addison rolled her eyes. "I was almost 21."

"Damn, girl, you held onto it for a long time." Callie said, somewhat surprised, "I was 16."

"I was married when I lost mine." Miranda stated smugly.

Callie eyed her. "No, you weren't."

Miranda sighed. "All right, fine. No, I wasn't. I was 18. Happy? But it _was_ with my husband."

"Okay, so we don't care so much about how old you were. We want to know about the guy." Callie looked at her expectantly.

"He was in some of my classes when we were undergraduates. We became friends, we went out on a few dates… And it just happened."

"It _never _just happens." Miranda said.

"Tell us about him!" Callie prompted.

"All right, fine." Addison downed the rest of her martini and poured a fresh one. It was Mark, okay?"

"Mark! Plastic surgeon Mark? Guy you had an affair with Mark?!" Miranda stared at her bug eyed.

Callie's jaw dropped. "Are you telling us… That you dated Mark before you got together with Derek, _and_ you lost your virginity to him? Does Derek know?"

"Yes, he knows that we dated. No, he does not know that Mark… How do some of my teenaged patients put it? Ah, yes. 'Popped my cherry.'"

"Was he… Any good?" Miranda couldn't help herself.

"Not really." Addison laughed. "But now? He's…"

"…Wow." Callie finished.

"Yeah, basically." Addison nodded her agreement and laughed again, amazed at how comfortably they were able to discuss their shared sex partner.

"How did you end up marrying his best friend then?" Miranda asked.

"Well, like I said… We were friends first. Then we dated a little. It didn't really work out. Nothing went horribly wrong or anything… Just didn't hit it off as well as we should have. He introduced me to Derek, then Derek and I hit it off _really_ well, and the rest is history."

"You're not really that much of a slut then. Don't beat yourself up about it. 3 guys in, what, 37 years? I'm not even going to _mention_ my number around you goody goods." Callie said.

"We should probably start helping her unpack some boxes before we get too drunk." Miranda pointed out.

"Aw, do we have to?" Callie whined, but she opened a box anyway.

"I do appreciate this, ladies… It's a lot more fun than unpacking alone." Addison grabbed a box of her own and tore into it.

They unpacked the boxes for a while, occasionally chatting about the contents of the box or life at the hospital.

"Hey, who's this?" Callie was holding a photo in her hands, which she was studying with some confusion.

Addison froze. She didn't have to look at it. She already knew what the picture was of, and she knew that the party was over.


	6. Chapter 6

_(Just a heads up here, because it's going to be important in this chapter and the next. I'm going to assume that Addison, Preston, and Derek, as the heads of their specialties, have both offices and secretaries. If they don't? Oh well... They do in my universe. :) )_

Miranda peered over Callie's shoulder at the photograph. It was of Derek and Addison, smiling, but they were in a hospital, holding a newborn wrapped in a soft pink blanket.

"That…" Addison took a deep breath. "is Laura Emily Shepherd."

Callie looked back at the picture. "Your niece?"

Addison tipped the rest of her martini down her throat. She was going to need it. If the evening had taught her anything, it was that there was no use trying to avoid the truth with these two.

"No… Laura is… Was… Our daughter. That's the only picture we have of her."

Miranda and Callie looked at each other, wide eyed with shock, then looked back at Addison.

"We knew she was sick before she was born… Trouble with her heart and lungs. We knew she probably wouldn't survive. I was put on bed rest anyway… I know I'm not exactly the Martha Stewart type, but during those two months, I crocheted this for her." Addison lifted a pale pink baby blanket out of the same box that Callie found the photo in.

It was far from perfect, with holes, changes in tension, a couple of random dangling pieces of yarn. The edges had slight variations, where she had dropped and added stitches. As precise as her hands were as a surgeon, she couldn't manage crafting with the same skill. But she had made it with love, for their baby. She lifted it to her face, though she knew it had long since lost her daughter's powdery scent.

Miranda and Callie watched her silently, aching for their friend.

"We had her for two days… And then she was gone, as quickly as she'd come into our lives. It was so frustrating and horrible. I'm a neonatal surgeon, and I couldn't do anything to save my own daughter! Saving babies is my life and I couldn't…" Addison trailed off.

She leaned her head back against the couch. "The only people who know about her at Seattle Grace are Mark, of course, and Richard… He and Adele were going to be her godparents. They flew out the morning after she was born when we realized she wasn't going to make it… They met her, and stayed after… To help with the arrangements." She wasn't looking at Callie and Miranda. She was looking at the blanket, tracing the stitches with her index finger.

"We buried her, then literally never talked about her again. Derek wouldn't do it. He suppressed his grief and threw himself back into brain surgery and away from me. I couldn't do that. She…" Addison's hand instinctively went to rest on her stomach. "She was inside of me, you know."

Addison sighed and started to refill her martini glass from the shaker. Miranda gently pried the glass from her fingers. She didn't put up a fight.

"Mark? He listened. Any time I wanted to talk about her, he was there. I'm sure it wasn't his favorite thing to talk about… But he was there. A year and a half of Derek ignoring me and Mark always being there… And yeah, I ended up in bed with him."

Addison wrapped the blanket around her shoulders like a tiny shawl. "I'm not saying I was right to cheat on my husband… I wasn't. And it wasn't like Mark took advantage of me. He didn't. I was just so sad and scared and alone…"

She looked at Callie and Miranda with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry… I'm sorry I lied to you guys. For a while, it was easier to lie than to take the pity stares and comments… But it hurt so much pretending like she never existed at all."

Miranda wrapped an arm around Addison's shoulders and squeezed tightly. "There is absolutely nothing I or anyone else can say to you to make this better, because it will never be better. You know this. But if you want to talk or vent or anything… You have us."

Callie moved to sit on the other side of Addison, and looped an arm around her shoulders. "Definitely. Hey, look, we made an Addie sandwich!"

Addison couldn't help but laugh through her tears. "I haven't had girlfriends in a long time, you know…"

Callie gave her a squeeze. "You'll always have us."

* * *

"Addison." Richard wasn't surprised to see her in his office the next day. He figured that she might come by to give him her decision, or at least to discuss it. Addison made herself comfortable in the chair across from him.

"I don't know about this whole chief thing…" she admitted.

"Why not?"

"Just… With everything that's happened lately? I'm not sure I'm ready for this. But I don't want to pass up the opportunity either. So, I'm stuck."

"I understand."

"Who was your second choice?" she asked.

Richard paused. "Preston."

"Oh. What do you think I should do? Why me first? I just don't…"

Richard leaned back and sighed. "Ad, I chose you because you are the best qualified with your specialties, and I think you would be excellent at it. But I almost felt guilty choosing you, because I love you like a daughter, and I didn't want to push this kind of a life on you."

"What do you mean?" Addison fidgeted a bit in her seat. She knew the answer. But she had to hear it.

Richard locked eyes with her. "I gave up my wife for this hospital, and any chance for having children. I know that you were devastated about Laura, because you really wanted to be her mother. I know you can't replace her, or Derek, but if you want to try to have a husband and a family again someday? I would strongly suggest that you tell me 'no,' walk out that door, and never look back with regrets. Because anything you'd miss by not being inside these doors? Not nearly as important as what's outside them."

Addison nodded. She thought about the men in her life. Finn, Alex… Even Mark hadn't been ruled completely out. She wasn't ready for that kind of life with any of them yet, but someday, who knew? She stood up with a faint smile.

"Tell Preston congratulations for me."

* * *

Addison stepped out of the Chief's office, and ran into Derek. Literally. She knocked the charts he was carrying out of his hands.

"Oh, sorry." Addison mumbled, stooping to pick up the charts.

"Don't worry about it." Derek gathered some of the charts on his own.

Addison looked at him from her position on the floor. "Do you ever think about her?"

Derek eyes met hers in surprise. "What?"

"Laura." She said quietly.

Derek sighed and slowly stood up, taking Addison gently by the elbow and pulling her up with him. Still holding onto her, he led her down to the hall and into his office.

"Of course I do." He said, after he had closed the door behind her.

"You probably never even told Meredith…"

"Yes, I did. When we got back together, I decided I wasn't going to keep any other secrets from her… So I told her."

"And?"

"What do you think? The pity stare. You know it well, I'm sure."

"Yeah… I do." Addison leaned against the wall. "I told Callie and Miranda… I had to. They found the picture of us with her…"

"She was beautiful. She looked like… She looked like you." Derek whispered, looking at the floor.

Addison had held it together until he said that, but then broke down into tears.

Derek closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't want to see her hurting. He opened his arms to her. Addison hesitated for a moment before pressing her face into his scrub top with a sob. "I miss her."

"Shhh… I know, I know. I do, too." he wrapped his arms tightly around her back. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me," he murmured into her hair, "I'm sorry I turned the other way. I didn't know what else to do… I'm sorry."

He traced small circles on her back with his fingertips, knowing that it was one of the easiest ways to soothe her when she was upset. There was nothing romantic about the gesture, and she didn't want there to be. They were simply two people comforting each other, over a child they had both lost.

"Addie. Even though we aren't married anymore, you were the biggest part of my life for 15 years. I'm always going to care about you, and in spite of all the crap we went through, I want you to be happy. Okay?" Derek wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, and brushed some away from his own eyes. "And if you ever want to talk about Laura… Well, this might be too late, but… I'm still here." He kissed the top of her head and released her from his embrace.

Addison nodded. "I know. Thanks." She turned to walk out of his office.

"Addison?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could get me a copy? Of the picture?"

Addison nodded. "Of course."

* * *

When Addison went out with Finn again that night, she invited him in for coffee. Remembering what Derek had said about Meredith and truth in relationships, she decided to tell him the truth about Laura. He didn't give her the pity stare. Maybe he understood more, because of his wife. She was sure he would have received the same stares she hated so much. He didn't speak. He didn't try to tell her it would be okay. He just held her, silently. And that was all she needed.

_Coming up… Another man tries to win Addison's heart. Oh, the tangle__d webs we weave!_


	7. Chapter 7

_(For my story's purposes, I'm going to say that Mark did say the part about feeling the way about Addison that Derek feels about Meredith in "Some Kind of Miracle," but there is no 60-day bet._

_And yes, I know that it can be confusing juggling all of these men, and Addison is confused, too. She doesn't really know who or what she wants right now. Who will win her heart? I don't know at this point… Reviews may help shape that. ;) Which one do you guys want to see her with?)_

It was lunchtime on the day after Addison had turned down the chief job. Addison carried a salad box and a bottle of water through the cafeteria, her eyes scanning the area for Miranda or Callie. She spotted Miranda at a corner table, but before she could make her way over, Mark Sloan blocked her path.

"So… You screwed my little gopher, Alex Karev." Mark smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Addison demanded.

"And in your office!" Mark crunched into an apple. "You know… You should really have a talk with Anita, your secretary. It's amazing what information I can get from her with a few well-placed compliments, grins, and bicep flexes."

Addison gritted her teeth. "Remind me to fire her."

"I always thought you were into men, not little boys."

Addison made a production out of looking around her, wanting to annoy Mark since she couldn't physically injure him there in the hospital. "Men? What men? I don't see any men here."

Mark cleared his throat. "That's not what I remember from a few weeks ago… In fact, that night after I caught you stumbling out of the O.R., you were singing… Well, moaning… A very different tune."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Mark."

"Why don't you just admit it?"

"Admit WHAT?" Addison asked, exasperated.

"You still want me."

"I'm glad you still think as highly of yourself as ever, but, I'm actually _not_ interested." Addison scoffed.

"Mark, don't you have some puppies to kick or something?

Addison was grateful to hear Callie's voice behind her.

"I didn't think you needed to be protected, Ads." Mark glared at Callie for intruding.

"I don't. It's called having a friend. You may want to try it sometime?"

The two women had left Mark standing there, shaking his head. They had just reached Miranda's table when Alex approached them.

"So, I heard you gave up chief." Alex stated matter-of-factly.

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Anita."

"Okay, that's it," Addison slammed her salad down on the table, startling Miranda. "I really AM going to fire her."

"But this is good news. This means that you and I…" Alex gestured between them and grinned. "We're on."

"I _never _said that."

"Karev! Stop hitting on her and go eat your damn lunch! You've got rounds to get to!" Miranda stared Alex down. He backed away, then headed back to his seat with the other interns.

"I'm seriously starting to see why Meredith took up knitting for a while. These men, they're just…" Addison tugged at the ends of her hair, as though she was trying to pull it out. "Maybe she can teach me…"

"If you'd just keep going out with the _right_ man, and stop sleeping with the bad boys, you wouldn't have so damn many problems." Miranda pointed out.

"I am! I have another date with him tomorrow."

As much as she liked Finn, she was having trouble detaching herself from her "bad boys." There was something about them Fixing her own love life seemed too difficult to Addison. It would have to wait until later. Maybe she couldn't figure out her own romantic problems, but she had an idea as to how to solve someone else's.

* * *

"Derek, I need to talk to you."

Derek was casually leaning against the nurse's station when his ex-wife approached him, his eyes on a craniotomy patient's chart. "What?"

"It's about Richard. I turned down the chief job because he told me how miserable it made his life. And when he was telling me about everything, I just felt so bad for him… Losing Adele that way. So, I came up with a plan for the two of us to get them back together."

Derek didn't look up from his chart. "I don't want to meddle in his marriage."

"He meddled in ours." Addison pointed out, "When he brought me here."

"Yes, but I think we should just leave him alone."

"All you have to do is invite Richard to dinner. I'll invite Adele to dinner. Neither of us will show up, we'll set it up with the restaurant so that they have to sit together, and bam! They'll have to start talking. I think if they would just talk to each other, they could work things out."

"Addison…" Derek finally closed the chart and looked at her. "That's been done. It was a movie, and it was called 'The Parent Trap'… Not a bad movie. Then they re-made it with Lindsay Lohan and that was crap."

Addison looked amused. "You… Saw the re-make?"

"Um. No. Anyway, the point is that stuff only works in movies."

"Come on, Derek. Please? Do it for Richard. Think of everything he's done for us… In our careers, personal lives, everything. Shouldn't we try to help him when he needs it?"

"Are you going to leave me alone about this?" Derek sighed. He knew Addison well enough to know that she was stubborn, and that she would put up a fight with him if he refused to give in to her way.

"Nope."

"Fine. Tell me what I need to do."

* * *

Richard entered one of the most expensive restaurants in Seattle later that evening. He was scanning the room for Derek when his eyes met his wife's. Was she on a date? He didn't really want to know, but he slowly walked over to her. He was glad that his hair was dyed and that he had worn his best suit.

"Adele?"

"Richard?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Addison called me this afternoon and invited me out to dinner. She said that she wanted to catch up on things."

Richard looked confused. "But Addison is at the hospital all night tonight."

"What? Then… Why would she invite me here?" Adele looked annoyed.

"I have no idea. I'm supposed to be meeting Derek."

"Really?"

"Wait a minute… Come to think of it… He's working tonight, too."

Their eyes met, and they suddenly realized they'd been set up.

"Oh, man…" Richard shook his head and took a seat across from Adele.

"They obviously wanted us to talk to each other." Adele laughed softly.

"Those knuckleheads are in trouble when I get a hold of them tomorrow."

The waiter, a college-aged kid dressed in a tuxedo shirt and bow tie, approached the table. "Sir, I'm supposed to tell you that tonight's tab has been taken care of. Do you know what you would like to order?"

"Yes." Richard winked at Adele, then back at the waiter with a smile. "What's the most expensive thing you have on the menu?"

* * *

"That was the sneakiest, most underhanded thing that the two of you have ever done!" Richard stared the two down in his office the next day, trying to put as much anger as possible into his voice while Addison and Derek hung their heads. They were used to Richard scolding them. They both knew that the best thing to do was not look at him.

"Richard, we were just trying to help… You've been so sad and lonely lately…" Addison trailed off.

"…And it was all her idea, by the way." Derek confessed. Addison kicked his shin with the toe of her high heel, and he let out a yelp.

"Really? Then I guess I'll have to thank her alone for it." Richard said.

Addison and Derek looked up with him in surprise.

"Adele and I were able to talk, and I went home last night. We're going to give things another try."

"That's wonderful!" Addison grinned, then turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Derek. "See!"

"Well, you know, Richard… I did help a lot. I mean, it may have been her idea, but without me…"

"Get back to work, both of you."

The two had barely made it out of his office before they doubled over in laughter. "Seriously? He thinks THAT'S the sneakiest thing we've ever done? Is he forgetting about when we were interns?" Addison said, thinking of the antics that she and her ex-husband had participated in when they were younger.

"Like the time we stole IV bags and filled them with vodka so we could sneak alcohol into a football game?" Derek smirked at the memory.

"Or the time when you pretended to be a cadaver and when Mark pulled the sheet back, you jumped up and scared the crap out of him."

"Or the time we had sex in an OR?"

"Oh, damn, yeah… We got yelled at for an hour for contaminating a sterile environment. Oh, there was sex in his office… And in the elevator… And in a comatose patient's room… And in the helicopter..."

Derek laughed. "Those were good times."

"It's a wonder that we ever got to where we are today!"

Derek glanced over at his ex-wife as they walked down the hall together. She was as beautiful as ever, with her hair neatly styled and her makeup perfectly applied. He would never deny that she was gorgeous. Though he wasn't in love with her anymore, he still cared deeply about her, and he had felt his respect for her gradually building again. He wanted them to be friends.

"We still make a good team, in some ways. It seems like we're becoming friends again. I hope it continues that way." Derek commented.

"Me too." Addison smiled.

_Next up, more time with Finn. :)_


	8. Chapter 8

_(Okay, so I wasn't going to write Anita being fired, I was just going to imply it… But, a reviewer wanted to see it. Ask and you shall receive. :) Enjoy! I am always open to suggestions.)_

Addison was leaning against the nurse's station, the following day, filling out a chart, when she saw Mark and Alex walking toward her. Damn! The last thing she needed was a visit from the Bad Boys' Club. She was wondering if she could find somewhere to hide when Mark paused next to her.

"Karev, a bone dry cappuccino." Mark passed him a ten-dollar bill.

Addison rolled her eyes. "Don't do it, Alex. Seriously. You don't have to cater to his every whim."

Mark glared at Alex. "Do you want me to die of thirst? If that happens, you'll never get to scrub in on one of my surgeries. Move it!"

Addison tipped her glasses down her nose and watched Alex's retreating figure with sympathy. "Are you ever going to leave him alone?"

Mark snorted. "Like you've never hazed an intern."

"I haven't!"

"I seem to remember one Elliot Brimmel who screamed and burst into tears after finding fake eyeballs in his locker because he thought they were real, and from a cadaver… Gee, I wonder who put them there and gave him that idea?"

"All right, fine. I'll give you that one." Addison admitted. "But remember, that was over a decade ago. I've grown up. You haven't."

"Eh, he loves it. So, here's the thing." Mark edged closer to Addison. "I'm going to pretend that you haven't been rejecting me lately. I'm going to give you another chance."

Addison arched a brow and spoke sarcastically to him. "Oh, how big of you, Mark. I am ever so lucky."

"I want to take you out tonight."

"Oh, darn!" the sarcasm was still in her voice. "It seems that I have plans."

"Another date with the vet, hmmm? Wouldn't you rather date a real doctor?"

"He is a real doctor! His patients are just hairier than ours… I hope so, anyway."

"You're going to sleep with him."

"Oh, really? Why do you say that?"

"Because you went out and bought new underwear on your lunch hour."

"Where did you hear that?" Addison demanded, though she already knew the answer.

"Where do you think? Anita."

"I have HAD it with that girl." Addison balled her hands into fists spun on her heel. She stalked away, leaving Mark standing there with wide eyes.

"You're hot when you're mad!" Mark called after her.

* * *

Addison stormed into Anita's office. She was not shocked to find the ditzy, dark-haired 21-year-old there, casually chomping on a piece of gum, her nose buried in a magazine, and her iPod earphones stuck in her ears. Addison stood there for a moment with her hands on her hips. Anita didn't even look up. Addison tapped her high heel against the floor for a moment. Nothing. Finally, exasperated, Addison walked up to Anita's desk and slammed her hand down on it, as hard as she could.

Anita jumped out of her chair in shock, coughing frantically after apparently choking on her gum. "Geez, what's the matter with you?!"

Addison was seething. "Your stuff. Pack it. Now."

"Oh, you're letting me go home early?" Anita's lips broke into a smile.

"Oh yes, I'm letting you go home early. And you are NEVER to come back here. Ever."

Anita's jaw dropped. "What do you mean?" Addison couldn't believe it. She actually looked shocked.

"Why do you think, Anita? Maybe because you tell absolutely everything you know. Or, maybe it's because you don't do anything except read magazines and listen to music on my time. Take your pick! Either way, get out of my face, because you're done."

Addison grabbed the phone and dialed. "Yes, Richard? I'm going to need a new secretary tomorrow. I just fired mine. Can we make it happen? Uh huh. All right. Thanks."

She slammed the phone down. "I have to get dressed for my date. When I get back you won't be here. Got it?"

Anita nodded and slinked away to pack up her things from her desk.

* * *

Later that evening, Addison was ready for her date with Finn. He was taking her dancing that night. It had been a few dates, so she decided it was time to break out the scandalously low-cut red satin dress with an asymmetrical hem and matching red heels. She was fussing over her fiery hair in the hospital bathroom when she heard a noise. Sniffles were coming from the end stall. Addison tilted her head and bent sideways at the waist to catch a glimpse of feet and legs underneath, belonging someone sitting on the floor. She eyed what she could see of the figure more closely. Converses. No doubt who those ugly shoes belonged to. She would recognize them anywhere.

The smart thing would have been to turn around and pretend like she hadn't noticed anything out of place. That's what most women would have done, given the circumstances. But Addison wasn't most women. She couldn't ignore the crying. With a sigh, she approached the stall. The sound of her clicking heels made the loud crying halt suddenly, but Addison still heard Meredith trying to steady her breathing. She tapped lightly on the door.

"Are you okay in there?" Addison asked dutifully.

To Addison's surprise, the door pushed open. Meredith was in a heap on the floor, red faced and tear streaked with her hair in tangles. She held a huge wad of toilet paper, still attached to the roll, trying desperately to wipe her tears away. Addison felt a pang of pity at how pathetic she looked.

"What happened?"

"Oh, y-you know… S-same old, same o-old. My m-mom's dead. I-I had a n-near death experience. My b-boyfriend doesn't t-talk to me. And, and… You're the l-last person who w-wants to hear me c-complain about this!" Addison could barely understand Meredith with the chokes and sobs that broke her voice.

"Deep breaths. What did Derek do?" Addison crouched down beside Meredith, careful not to let the designer dress touch the bathroom floor, and holding her knees tightly together to keep from flashing Meredith.

"T-that's just it! N-nothing! Right a-after my accident, t-things were fine. N-now? He's not t-there for m-me anymore!"

Addison sighed. So, he was doing it to her, too. "Unfortunately, Meredith, it is very Derek to retreat when things are tough or uncomfortable. I know he told you about Laura, but I don't know if he told you how he reacted after."

Meredith nodded. "He d-did."

"That's how he is. I don't know what else to tell you about it. He can be an idiot sometimes. The only person who will always be able to take care of you, is you. You can't put that in anyone else's hands. If you do, and that person fails, you end up in bed with his best friend." Addison smiled wanly.

"Don't ever doubt that he loves you, though," Addison continued, "He loves you in a way that he never loved me. And the funny thing is? I'm not even jealous about it anymore. We're building new lives, and you're his. I've accepted that."

Addison was surprised by the words that were coming out of her mouth, but they were true. She wanted Meredith to have Derek. Meredith and Derek made each other happy. Addison and Derek hadn't made each other happy in years, not really. She wanted to be with someone who would make her happy, too. They all deserved happiness.

"B-but… Why? W-why did he pick m-me? Look at you!" Meredith gestured to Addison's dress and expertly applied makeup.

"Because I'm Satan. Remember?" Addison winked. She was able to take her former nickname with a decent sense of humor.

Meredith laughed lightly through her tears. "T-thank you for the c-chat. But I-I have t-to do r-rounds and I'm a mess and I-I can't let them s-see me like t-this and..." Meredith's eyes filled with tears again.

"Shh!" Addison dipped her hand into her purse and retrieved a hairbrush. She hesitated for a moment before pressing it against Meredith's hair and gently brushing the tangles out. Once her hair looked presentable, she dropped the brush back into her purse and fished out a compact of fresh powder. Addison opened the compact and looked from the powder to Meredith's skin.

"It's not exactly the right color, but it will do… Hold still." Meredith complied, and Addison used the enclosed sponge to blend the redness out of Meredith's skin and put the compact back in her purse. She stood up and extended a hand to Meredith.

"Thank you… Why are you helping me?"

"I've told you before, and I'll tell you again. I don't hate you. I'm human, you know. I don't want to see anyone crying in a bathroom stall… Besides, sometimes I cry in them myself." Addison laughed lightly. "Hang in there. Go do your rounds."

* * *

Addison finally managed to slip away from Meredith and was on the elevator, heading down to meet Finn in the lobby of the hospital. She had gone down just one floor when Derek joined her on the elevator.

"Hey! You look nice. Date?" Derek asked.

Without a greeting, Addison ignored his question and glared. "I don't like having to pick your crying girlfriend up off of bathroom floors."

"Excuse me?" Derek was obviously confused.

"Meredith. Start treating her better. Listen to her problems. Help her with them… Or you will have me to deal with. And you know what that's like."

Derek nodded silently, and moved to get off the elevator when it reached his floor.

"Oh. And we never had this conversation."

* * *

Finn found it difficult to keep from grinning as he drove Addison to the salsa club for their date. She was like the unattainable girl that he had no chance of landing in high school, but there she was, in the passenger seat of his car, going out on yet another date with him.

"So… Can you dance?"

"Ballet, tap, jazz… My mother made me take all of them." Addison laughed.

"What about salsa?"

"Are you kidding me? It was actually developed in New York." _(Me: Well, according to Wikipedia, anyway. :)_

"Really?"

"Uh huh. Just you wait."

He couldn't. Not really.

* * *

Finn wasn't disappointed by Addison's dancing. Her feet moved smoothly and expertly, not at all hindered by her ridiculously high heels. She met him with every step, frequently making eye contact in a way that made his knees feel week. The man was human, and she was gorgeous. He couldn't help but be turned on by the sexy swings of her hips. Finn almost felt guilty for staring at her with such hungry eyes, but she had to know that the dress was hot, that it fit her hourglass figure perfectly and showed off her long legs.

Finn spun Addison around in a circle and pulled her to him. He pressed his hand into the small of her back and let her upper body fall onto it into a dip as the song ended. He brought her back up and clutched her against him. They were both breathless.

"My place?" Finn whispered in her ear, hoping he wasn't wrong about the signals he thought she was sending.

"Now."

_"It's a good thing I had bought that new thong..."_ Addison thought.

* * *

When Addison awoke the next morning, it was to the smell of homemade pancakes. She sat up and rubbed her eyes with a yawn, then looked around her. Finn's bed. She smiled faintly and allowed her head to fall back against the pillows.

"Morning, beautiful." Finn said, setting a tray down on the nightstand beside her.

"Morning." Addison smiled and looked over at the stack of pancakes, coated with syrup and topped off with a sliver of butter. The pancakes were accompanied by a couple of slices of bacon, orange juice in a champagne glass, and a red rose. She grabbed the rose and pressed it to her nose to smell. Finn smiled at the gesture.

"Breakfast in bed? You really are amazing. Thank you." Addison said, as she laid the rose back on the tray and helped herself to the pancakes.

"You're welcome." Finn lounged on the bed beside of her and tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear.

"You aren't going to have any pancakes?" Addison pouted.

Finn laughed. "No, I'm good, thanks."

"Come on…" Addison extended her fork to feed him a bite of pancake. Finn accepted the forkful with a smile.

"When do you have to work today?" Finn asked.

Addison glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand. "Damn! In about 30 minutes."

"I'll drive you." Finn offered.

Addison smiled, wishing she could stay in his bed like that all day. "I'd like that." Then, she suddenly groaned. "Oh, shit."

"What?" Finn was slightly alarmed.

Addison pointed to the red dress from last night, which Finn had kindly placed on a hanger and hung on the front of his closet. "That is the only thing I have with me to wear, half of the hospital saw me in it and knew I had a date, and I have no time to go home and change..."

_Yay, poor Finn finally got laid! Haha. :) Hmm... I wonder how Addison is going to go to work with only that satin red dress from last night around to wear…?_


	9. Chapter 9

Finn looked at her, concerned. "Well, true, you can't do surgery in that dress…"

"That's not the problem… I have plenty of scrubs at work and sneakers at work. But, I have to walk into work wearing the same dress that half of the hospital saw me wearing last night? Why don't I just wear a sign that says, 'Hi, I went home with Finn and we had sex all night and I woke up too late to go home and get my clothes so I'm wearing this sexy dress again today'?"

"It'd be kind of a lot to put on a sign." Finn tried to joke, but quickly saw that Addison was not in the mood. "Okay, okay… Um… Well, you could always borrow some sweats."

"That's probably even more obvious." Addison moaned. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not ashamed of sleeping with you… It was great. Fantastic, actually. I've just been the brunt of gossip way too many times in that hospital, and the last thing I need is to give them something else to talk about.

"You could call and say you're running a little late, and we could go and get you some clothes." Finn suggested.

"Can't," Addison sighed. "I have a surgery scheduled.

Finn ran his hand through his hair in thought. "What about a trench coat?"

"What do you mean?"

"Put my trench coat on over the dress. Ta da! No one will be able to see the dress."

"That could work… But there's one problem." Addison pointed at the red high heels.

"You wear high heels every day. Those are a little flashy, but I doubt anyone will really notice."

"I don't have any other choice." Addison sighed. "Okay. Let's do that."

* * *

Addison waited for the elevator inside the hospital shortly after, Finn's black trench coat belted firmly around her body. Fortunately, she'd had her hairbrush, powder compact, and lipstick in her purse. She wasn't wearing nearly as much makeup as usual, but she was hoping that no one would notice, or if someone did, that they wouldn't wonder why. Her red satin heels may have looked a little out of place, but hey, she was high fashion. She just might be able to pull it off and get away with it.

"Well, hello, Addison!" Mark greeted her once the elevator doors had opened.

Mark. Alex. Derek. All on the elevator, riding up from the basement. What were the odds of that happening? It amazed her that an elevator could become so awkward on a daily basis. Reluctantly, she stepped in, and the doors closed behind her. They rode silently up a floor.

Suddenly, Addison felt a jolt. She braced herself by pressing her hand against the elevator wall, and the elevator abruptly stopped moving.

"Are we… Stuck?" Addison asked, afraid that she already knew the answer.

Alex was furiously pressing buttons, to no avail. "It would appear that we are."

Addison stared at the men she shared the elevator with and groaned. Her three ex-lovers, all in one place, and her in the same dress that she wore last night.

"This must be what hell feels like…" Addison mumbled, banging the back of her head against the elevator wall.

_Short chapter, just to introduce what I'm up to next. And, okay, I know that characters being stuck in the elevator tog__ether has been done a lot (probably because the elevator has always been a great setting for delightful awkwardness)… But it's always fun, and I want to try to put a unique twist on it… So we'll see how that goes. :) Look for some comedy, up next._


	10. Chapter 10

_(So, here we go. :) This is mostly dialogue. Not much description… But hell, they're stuck in an elevator. :) I'm going to assume you guys all know what those look like. ;P I thought it would end up longer than this, but I decided to leave out Truth or Dare and all of that kind of stuff so as not to copy some of the other writers' ideas. _

_I think that I have figured out what's going to happen in the long run, but I'm still open to suggestions… I'll just jerk you guys around a bit longer. ;) I greatly appreciate all of the reviews that I have received so far.)_

They had each taken a different corner of the elevator. Addison sat in one corner, her legs curled around her to the side, held tightly together so she wouldn't flash anyone with the dress she was seriously considering burning. The night before, it had helped her get lucky; but that day, it gave her a triple dose of bad luck. Mark was in the corner to her left, with his feet flat on the floor and knees up, arms resting loosely against them. Derek had chosen the corner to her right, and was lounging with his legs sprawled out to the center of the elevator. Alex sat across from her Indian-style, his elbow on his knee and his head propped up by it.

"We're doctors. We know that taking the stairs is good exercise… So why do we always take this damn elevator?" Addison lamented.

"This sucks." Derek stated the obvious.

"No shit." Mark muttered.

"Let's look at this situation. I hate you." Derek pointed at Mark. "I'm divorced from you, so we know how that goes. And you." Derek jerked his thumb in Alex's direction and thought for a moment. "Well, I don't really know you, so I don't have an opinion."

"He slept with Addison." Mark offered.

Derek's eyes narrowed. "Okay, then I hate you, too."

"Why? Why do you hate me?" Alex asked.

"Because you're an intern who slept with my wife!"

"She's your EX-wife, in case you haven't noticed. And why is it okay for you to have sex with _your _intern, but she's not allowed to have sex with hers?"

"That's different. Meredith and I are in love."

"Oh, I'm so sure that it was love that got you into Meredith's bed the night you met at Joe's?"

"How do you keep from breaking her in bed, anyway?" Mark wondered. "She's a little waif of a thing. I'd have to feed her a sandwich first or I'd feel bad."

"Shut up, Mark." Addison and Derek said in unison.

But, of course, Mark was never one to shut up.

"I don't get you and Alex though, Addison. I mean, I can see why the kid slept with _you_." Mark said and looked at Alex. "I gotta hand it to you, it takes stones. She's your boss, she's eleven years older than you are, she's a WASP-y millionaire, and let's face it… She's hot. It was a conquest and you succeeded. Well-played."

"But I _don't_ think of her like that. I don't think about her money. I don't think about the fact that she's my boss. I don't even think of her as a piece of ass. If I did, don't you think I'd leave her alone by now since I already got that? It's just… She's just… She's Addison."

Addison looked up at him, smiling faintly when he said that.

Mark ignored his comment and went on. "What I don't get is what she wants with you, a wet-behind-the-ears intern who has no money and doesn't know shit."

Addison spoke up in Alex's defense. "Maybe it's because the practice of medicine hasn't completely sucked out his soul, like it has both of yours'." She waved her index finger in between them. "Besides… He's cute."

Derek was indignant. "We're cute!"

Addison rolled her eyes. "Sure, if I were into the 'I haven't shaved in 3 weeks or slept in two weeks' exhausted, wounded, worn-out doctor look."

"Whatever. Point is, Alex wanted to slip it to his boss." Mark said.

"Jealous much?" Alex smirked. "Obviously, it's been a while since she let _you_ 'slip it to her'."

"Boys! ENOUGH!" Addison bellowed.

The two men shut up. A voice came from outside the elevator. "Who's in there?"

"Richard! Help us! Please!" Addison cried out.

"Addison? Who's with you?" Richard called back.

"Derek, Alex, and Mark."

There was a pause, and then Richard started laughing. "How do you get yourself into these messes?"

"Glad you're having fun at my expense there, Richard." Addison rolled her eyes.

"I've got three attendings in there!" they heard Richard arguing with the elevator repair crew.

Alex sighed and mumbled. "And one intern who is apparently chopped liver."

"Guys, and, uh girl… It's going to be a while." Richard yelled down to them.

"What, 20-30 minutes?" Addison yelled back, hopefully.

"No… More like an hour or two. I'm sorry. They're working on it. I'll push your surgeries back."

The four let out a collective sigh.

* * *

An hour later, beads of sweat were forming on Addison's forehead. "Damn, it's hot in this stupid elevator."

"Take off the coat." Alex suggested.

"No… No. That's okay."

Mark studied her face. "You look different today."

Derek leaned forward to look more closely at what Mark was talking about. "She's not wearing much makeup. I never thought I'd see the day when she'd leave the house without eyeliner. She puts it on to walk to the mailbox."

"It's really hot." Addison whined.

"Why don't you just take off the damn trench coat?" Mark demanded.

"Fine, fine! You want me to take it off?" Addison stood up and removed the trench coat, revealing the satin dress beneath. She rolled the trench coat into a ball and threw it at Mark and sat back down.

Mark let out a wolf whistle at the sexy dress, while Alex's eyes just about bugged out of his head.

"Things just got more interesting." Mark nodded his approval.

Derek's eyes were filled with recognition. "Wait a minute… That dress. You were wearing it last night."

"Yeah. So?" Addison was trying to play it off for as long as possible.

"You slept with Finn."

"So what if I did?"

It was silent for a moment before Mark suddenly started to laugh. "No wonder she was sweating. She's stuck in an elevator with 3 of her 4 lovers."

"5." Derek corrected.

"You, me, Karev, and now Finn." Mark held up a finger for each as he counted them off. "That's 4."

"You forgot the frat guy… What's his name?" Derek asked.

"Andrew. But she never slept with him." Mark said.

"Yes, she did." Derek argued.

"I knew her back then and you didn't. I'm telling you, she never slept with the guy." Mark said.

"Well, I was married to her for 11 years, and _I'm_ telling _you_, she did. She lost her virginity to him." Derek informed Mark.

Mark paused and his brows lifted in surprise. "Oh, _really_? So, that's what she told you."

Addison sighed and covered her face with her hands. As she knew, Mark would do anything to trump Derek, especially when it came to her… Even out their little secret.

"What do you mean 'what she told' me?" Derek was confused.

Alex was watching their conversation like it was a ping pong match, moving his head back and forth to follow what they were saying.

"Addie did _not_ lose her virginity to Andrew Von." Mark stated.

"Oh, really? And how do you know that?" Derek challenged.

"I know that because she lost it to me!" Mark blurted out.

Alex's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa! I wasn't expecting that. You two? That long ago?"

"Yes, Mark and I dated in college, but it didn't work out because he was, and still is as you see, a pompous ass… So he introduced me to Derek."

"You never told me you slept with him back then." Derek was looking at Addison, and she could see the hurt in his eyes. She looked away.

"She didn't tell you because when you guys were first dating, we thought it'd be awkward. We never thought you'd get married or anything like that, obviously. There was just never a good time to tell you." Mark shrugged. "What does it matter now, anyway?"

Addison glared at Mark. "All right, Sloan, since you don't mind sharing my secrets with the public, you won't mind if I share this one about you." Addison leaned forward a little bit for effect. "You, that night? Not good. At all. I let you think that you were much, much better than you really were!"

Alex burst out into laughter. "Oooo, she stings." He caught Mark shooting him a glare and quickly cleared his throat and looked down.

* * *

"Anyone have a deck of cards? We could play strip poker." Mark suggested about a half an hour later. The elevator had become even more awkward after Mark's revelation, and everyone had been silent.

"Three men and one woman. Why don't I see that working?" Alex asked.

"No, you see, Addie is absolutely terrible at poker. I mean horrible. She'd be naked in 10 minutes and we'd never have to lose a sock." Mark explained.

"Forget it, Mark." Derek sighed. "Since we've all seen her naked, I think that would be kind of anti-climatic, anyway."

Addison folded her arms over her chest. "Thanks a lot! I feel like I should be offended by that comment."

Suddenly, the elevator lurched and moved up to the next floor. The three attendings and one intern cheered and jumped to their feet.

"That was much faster than the Chief told us. He must have lit a fire under their asses." Alex commented.

The doors opened and they scrambled to get out.

"Do you want in on my surgery today?" Addison asked Alex as they exited and began walking down the hall.

"Yeah, of course." Alex replied. "Addison? I have a question."

"Yeah?" Addison said.

"Are you and Finn serious?" Alex asked.

"No… I mean, he's really nice, and we have a great time… But we're not a couple or anything, no." Addison replied.

"Go out on a date with me, then." Alex said, once they were down the hall and away from the others.

Addison turned her head to look at him, flustered. "What?"

"Give me one date."

"Alex…"

"I won't try to have sex with you or anything. I promise. Just give me the freaking time of day with one date! Tonight. I'll come by your office at 7.

"You're not going to let this go until I actually date you, are you?"

"Nope!"

"Okay. I'll go on one date with you. But no sex. I mean it." Addison warned.

"Deal. Wear jeans. You… You do _own _jeans, right?" Alex asked.

Addison rolled her eyes. "Of course I do."

"Okay, good. Just checking. Wear them. Dress warmly. You'll be glad you did. No satin dresses on my date. Got it?" Alex grinned.

Addison nodded, and headed into her office to change clothes, finally. She wondered where in the hell he was planning to take her that night...

_(Oh, how I do love writing an asshole Mark… Next up… Where is he taking her on their date? And what about Finn? And what do you want to see:)_


	11. Chapter 11

_Addisex, Addisex, Addisex. Gosh, is that all you guys think about:) Well, here is some Addisex. (Minus the actual sex part this time, sorry. Remember his promise in the last chapter:P)_

Addison winced as her hands smacked the cold, hard ice of the local ice rink for what seemed like the hundredth time. Forget dressing warmly. The abhorred satin dress from earlier that day was looking better by the minute. A very small boy whizzed past her. Addison watched with disgust as the child flew around the rink and completely a half jump. "I think I _delivered_ that kid a week ago."

Alex chuckled extended a hand to her. "Come on."

She accepted his hand, and allowed him to pull her up. "If you would have told me we were going to be ice skating, I wouldn't have worn cashmere!"

Alex laughed. Addison looked very pretty in casual attire; it was the first time he had ever really seen her in it, and he liked it. She wore a pair of dark blue designer jeans, and with a teal cashmere sweater and black gloves with little beads and sequins sewn to them.

"Tell me, do you own _any_ article of clothing that cost less than $150?" Alex asked.

Addison thought about it for a moment. "Socks?" Alex just shook his head.

"Let's try it this way." Alex suggested. He turned so that he was skating backwards and took her hands, pulling her gently with him as he skated. "I have to say… I thought you'd be better at this."

"Why's that?" Addison asked.

"You're pretty graceful, usually… And you have good balance on high heels."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, I don't take them on _ice!_ How are _you_ so good at this?"

"I played hockey in college."

"Hockey, wrestling… What else?" Addison arched a brow.

"Anything where slamming other people was socially acceptable.

As his bare hands held her gloved ones, she couldn't help but gaze at his fingers and notice how the looked like they would fit perfectly laced together with hers. She must have stared at his fingers too long, because he looked at her curiously.

"What?"

Addison abruptly looked up. "Nothing. It's just… I can't believe that you aren't wearing gloves!"

"Well…" Alex smirked. "My hands haven't been touching the ice quite as much as yours have.

She tried to shove him, but her skate blades wobbled beneath her and she fell forward. Alex caught her in his arms.

"You shouldn't try to start fights with the guy who is holding you up." Alex warned. "Did you never skate at Rockefeller Plaza when you lived in New York?"

"I usually preferred to watch from the sidelines with a cup of cocoa."

"Do you miss New York City?"

Addison thought about it for a moment. "Sometimes, yes. I mean, I lived there my whole life, until now."

"What do you miss about it?"

Addison didn't hesitate. "Standing in the middle of Times Square… The lights, the sounds, people bustling around everywhere. If you stand there long enough, it's like the whole world is passing you by."

"I've never been there. It sounds like fun, though."

"It is. Where are you from originally?"

"Florida, but I went to college at University of Iowa."

"So, you're a long way from home, too. What do you miss about Florida?"

"The sun!" They both laughed.

"Do you consider it home?"

Alex hesitated. "It wasn't much of a home… My old man… He was a druggie and used to beat up on my mom, so…"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Addison said quietly, and gave his fingers a gentle squeeze.

"It happens, unfortunately." Alex was quiet for a moment, then he suddenly spun Addison around on the ice, causing her to shriek, half with delight and half with fear.

"I want to try it on my own again." Addison announced.

"Okay." Alex released one hand. "Remember what I taught you. Stroke and glide, stroke and glide…"

She wrinkled her nose at him. "You're just trying to make it sound sexual."

"That's what they tell teach people when they teach them to skate!" Alex protested. "Honest!"

"Okay, let go of my hand and I'll try it."

Alex obliged, and she pushed one leg out behind her to take off, then brought her legs together, then did the same thing with the other leg.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it!" Addison called to Alex, who was a few feet ahead of her. Then, her blade snagged a piece of the ice that had a chunk chipped out of it, and she fell to the side. Pain coursed through her ankle and she inhaled sharply.

Alex looked back and saw her there, in a heap on the ice. He spun around and quickly skated back over to her. "Are you all right?" Concern was on his face as he knelt next to her.

"Hey, is she okay?" a father with a little girl in tow stopped to ask. "You may want to get her to a doctor."

Addison and Alex looked at each other, and laughed a little. "It's under control." Alex assured him.

He scooped Addison up into his arms, with his hands under her knees, and she obediently looped her arms around his neck. His brown rental skates, which she had already complained were ugly, hung limply off to the side of his arm. Clutching her against his chest, he skated slowly off the ice. After he had set her down on a bench, he unlaced her skate.

"Slowly…" Alex said, and she helped him ease her skate off. He gently probed the affected area.

"It's not broken… But I think it's a pretty bad sprain. Why don't you come home with me, and I'll wrap it for you and put some ice on it?"

Addison was hesitant. "I don't know…"

Alex rolled his eyes. "You could strip naked right now and _beg_ me to have sex with you, and I still wouldn't do it. I made you a promise. I'm going to keep it. I'm just trying to help. Now, will you let me take care of you?"

_Let me take care of you. _The words echoed in Addison's head. How long had it been since a man had said that to her? She looked back at Alex and nodded.

* * *

By the time they had to walk into Alex's apartment, Addison was able to hobble on one foot, with Alex's arm looped carefully around her waist for support. When they entered his front door, they were in the kitchen.

Or was it the living room? Or was it the dining room? Looking around, Addison realized that it was all three, in one big room. If Alex had owned a normal amount of stuff, it would have definitely been cramped, but she realized he didn't own much of anything.

"It's…" Addison began.

"Tiny and bare?"

"Well… Yes, maybe."

He helped her over to the futon. "Well, I'm not home much, so I didn't see the point in getting a great pad."

"I can definitely understand that.

Alex studied her. "Okay, you need a pack of ice, some Advil, and an Ace bandage. I'll be right back. Sit tight."

"I can't go very far." Addison smiled weakly.

Alex threw a smile back to her, and headed into his bathroom, which was apparently through his bedroom, leaving Addison to look around his apartment. It really was bare, and she didn't have much to look at.

Alex returned with a cup of water and a couple of Advil, which Addison took gratefully. "If you want something stronger, we can get a prescription filled for you."

"I'll tough it out. It's not that bad."

Alex got down on the floor and slowly wrapped the Ace bandage around her foot. "I'm sorry I made you go ice skating… Now you're hurt, and I'm sorry…"

He glanced up at her, looking so worried that she laughed a little. "Alex, it's a little sprain. Nothing some anti-inflammatory drugs and a few days won't cure. Come on, you know that."

"I just didn't want to do anything to hurt you. And I wanted you to have fun."

Addison laid her hand on his arm. "Alex. Will you just calm down about it? I DID have fun. Sure, I sucked, but I had fun."

"You're sure?" Alex looked up at her, not quite convinced.

"I promise!"

"If you say so." Alex took a seat on the futon beside her and placed a pillow on his lap. He propped her foot up on the pillow, placed a light kiss on it, and covered it with the ice pack. "That should help, but you'll probably want to snag some crutches from work tomorrow."

"Will do. Thanks, doc." Addison winked at him.

"So…" Alex turned to face her and let his arm rest over the top of the futon. "I have a burning question."

"What's that?"

"Why did you give up the chief position? It seems like it was something you spent your whole career striving for."

"I guess I decided that I didn't want that kind of life... Think of Richard. He lost everything to being chief. It's not worth it to me, to give up any other dreams I had or goals I wanted to achieve."

Alex nodded. "That's true."

"I wanted to be like normal people. I wanted a chance to be married and have a child again." Addison said, then her hand flew to her mouth the second she said it. Maybe he hadn't noticed that she said "again." Maybe she wouldn't have to tell yet another person about her daughter. The story broke her heart every time she had to tell it.

But he did notice. "Child… again…?" His face was contorted with confusion.

Addison took a deep breath "Her name was Laura, she died almost 2 years ago when she was only 2 days old, and she had heart and lung problems… And that's really all I want to say about her right now." Her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, Addie…" It was the first time he had ever called her by her nickname, and she liked the way that it sounded when he said it. He lay down on his side on the futon, and extended his arms to her. She laid down against him with her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly held her silently while she cried herself to sleep in his arms.

* * *

Alex awoke the next morning to find himself still spooning Addison. They were pressed tightly against each other on the small futon, and his arm was wrapped tightly around her waist. He smiled and buried his nose into her red locks and inhaled. She smelled like vanilla and something floral that he couldn't put his finger on. He removed his hand from her waist, and laced his fingers through hers. He studied their hands for a moment. A perfect fit.

"I'm falling in love with you." Alex mouthed the words against her hair, not actually saying them aloud, then closed his lips to place a kiss against her head.

* * *

_All right, so I had to let him find out about Laura because everyone she's close to has to know about Laura. Now, we can hopefully move on to happier times. Next... Will Alex tell Addison how he feels (when she's awake)? Addison will dish about her date with Callie… And uh oh, Finn will come back, and he has something to ask Addie!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Okay, I lied. Callie/Addie gossip time will be in the next chapter. Bear with me. I need this one as kind of a transition to introduce some ideas… I think at least one of them will make most of you happy. :P_

* * *

When Addison hobbled into her office on a pair of "borrowed" crutches later that morning, she was surprised to see Finn sitting in her desk chair. 

"Hey!" Addison said.

"Hey!" Finn stood, and gestured to her crutches. "What happened to you? Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah." Addison laughed. "I'll be fine… What's up?" She propped her crutches against the wall and let Finn help her into a chair.

"Well, I have some news that I wanted to share with you."

"What's that?"

"Well… I was offered a teaching job."

"Really? I didn't know you had an interest in teaching. Well, congratulations! Where's the job? Washington State?"

Finn shook his head slowly. "No… It's at Auburn."

"Auburn." Addison said slowly. "Which is in…"

"Alabama."

"Oh…"

"Maybe I'm just crazy for asking, but…" Finn stooped next to Addison so that he could look into her eyes, and grabbed her hands. "Come with me."

"What?"

"Come with me to Alabama, Addison."

* * *

Meredith was standing at the nurse's station completing some paperwork when a young woman approached her. 

"Can I help you?" Meredith asked.

"Yes, hello, can you tell me where I can find Derek Shep—" The woman stopped talking as her cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and groaned. "Hang on."

"Um… You're not supposed to talk on that in the hos—" Meredith began.

"I'll only be a second." The woman turned her back to Meredith. "Yes, Rachel? No, you're supposed to use the Oxford comma." She rolled her eyes, "Okay, then maybe you've heard it called the serial comma." She listened to the person on the other end, tapping her foot impatiently. "You are looking at the Associated Press style guide, and I can't even fathom why you'd have that in your office, since we publish books, _not_ newspapers! Go get the Chicago Manual of Style out of my office. Marty will let you in." She paused again. "Look, I didn't go to Columbia to teach you about the Oxford comma on the phone from Seattle! I am a managing editor, _not_ a copy editor! Figure it out!" She hung up the phone. "Sorry about that… Now, as I was saying… I'm looking for—"

"Care Bear!" Mark grinned when he caught a glimpse of the young woman from down the hall.

"Hey, asshole!" the girl said, but pulled him into a hug.

"Meredith, this is Caroline Montgomery." Mark explained once he had released her. "Addison's sister."

Caroline had the same beautiful hair color as Addison, but her hair was longer and in tight, neatly styled spiral curls. She was dressed stylishly too, in designer jeans and an ivory satin camisole trimmed with lace, topped with a brown tweed jacket and brown stilettos. Meredith noticed that she was several inches shorter than Addison was, and looked nothing like her other than her hair color.

"Aha… Meredith…" Caroline smirked knowingly. "A pleasure." She turned back to Mark. "So. You win my sister's heart back yet?"

"Not exactly."

"Been screwing her?"

"Not lately."

"Seriously? Is she crazy? You're great in bed!"

"You've slept with him, too?" Meredith asked incredulously. She hadn't meant to be so forward, so nosy. It had just slipped out.

"You haven't?" Meredith shook her head. "_Everyone_ sleeps with Mark… It's like a… Rite of passage." Caroline winked.

"So I've heard…" Meredith mumbled.

"Derek's office is where?" Mark pointed down the hall. "Thanks. I'll catch you later, Marky."

Meredith watched Caroline's shapely retreating figure as she walked down the hall. "What does she want with Derek?"

Mark rolled his eyes. "Relax. It's her ex-brother in law. It's not like she's going to jump him or anything. They're friends."

"She doesn't really look like Addison at all.. I mean, they're both gorgeous, but they don't really even look related…"

"Uh-huh."

"It's like Caroline looks a little _too_ perfect. She's McBarbie."

"What can I say? I do good work." Mark casually took a sip of his coffee.

"You did plastic surgery on her?

Mark snorted. "She's more plastic than Barbie, Mer. Let's see…" Mark thought about it for a minute. "It was rhinoplasty, breast implants, Botox, some work on her calves… Oh yeah, and cheek implants."

"And she's how old?"

"27." _(Me: Yes, I know, I originally had her younger when Addison told Finn about her… But I bumped her up a few years to have it make more sense that her career could be so advanced.)_

"I still can't believe that you slept with both of them."

"I slept with Caroline a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, it was before she had the D-cups. Too bad I didn't wait."

Meredith's eyes widened in disgust. "You're unbelievable."

"She's not as good as her sister… But give her time… Women are like wine. They improve with age."

"Ughh! You're just, sick!"

"It's not like I had them at the same time!"

"Does Addison know you've slept with her sister?"

Mark shrugged. "Well…"

"That's what I thought."

* * *

"Finn…" Addison slowly shook her head. "I'm flattered… But… 

Finn sighed and stood up slowly. "You can't."

"I'm sorry… This is my home now, and I have friends here… I can't pick up and move almost 3,000 miles away. I can't move again. I'm finally starting to create a life for myself, and I can't give that up."

Finn gave her a small smile. "It was worth a try. How do you feel about long distance?"

Addison looked at him sadly. She knew that she wasn't emotionally stable enough for something that could be so difficult and draining. "I like you, Finn. I like you a lot. And I want to thank you, for showing me that men can be good and sweet and kind… But I don't think I can handle the long distance thing right now."

Finn nodded. "I figured you'd say that… And I understand. I'll miss you, Addison."

"I'll miss you too, Finn."

* * *

"Caroline!" Derek moved forward to embrace the younger woman. 

Despite her feisty attitude, Derek had always liked his sister-in-law. He was surprised, but pleased to see her in his office. She had been just a kid in middle school when he and Addison started dating, and had threatened to kick his ass if he ever did anything to her sister. Over the years, she had become like one of his own sisters to him. She had changed a lot since then; physically, as he knew, through Mark's 10 blade, but her personality had matured as well. She had moved quickly through the ranks of her career, and trying to fight with the "big boys" as a young female had made her hard.

"Something's different." Derek pulled back and studied her. "Mark did your cheeks."

"Uh-huh. Right before he left to come out here."

"So, did you take a little vacation to come out and see Addison?" Derek gestured for her to have a seat.

"No." Caroline sank down into his couch. "Actually… She doesn't even know I'm here yet. I'm here to see you, Derek."

"Me?" Derek's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Why me?"

"I'm here to tell you that the guy you sold your practice to, Dr. Moore? He's an idiot."

"You came all the way to Seattle to tell me this? Okay, then…" Derek rested against the side of his desk. "Why do you think Dr. Moore is an idiot?"

"It's my brain." Caroline sighed. "He thinks that I… Well, never mind what he thinks. Like I said, he is an idiot. I came to you because I want a second opinion."

Derek ran a hand through his hair nervously. What could be wrong with Caroline? The thought of treating Addison's younger sister made him nervous. "There's kind of a thing where we're not supposed to have family as patients…"

"Then it's a damn good thing that we're not family anymore, huh?"

_See! I figured out a way to get rid of Finn without hurting Addison too badly (like killing him or something might have), or making her look like a huge bitch, or making him always the poor dumpee. Yay, me! It may have been a little lame, but I needed him to be gone for things to go the way I want them to! lol. :)_

_Up next, we'll have some Callie/Addie time, Addie might finally realize that her sister is wandering around the hospital, we'll see what may be wrong with Caroline... And if you guys are extra good, I'll slip in some Addex. :)_

_Oh, and forgive my dorkiness in regards to Caroline's job. I wanted to show her personality a little, and give a nod to my field… I'm a graduate student in professional writing and editing. ;)_


	13. Chapter 13

_I love you guys! You're so great with your reviews… You make this "not really a creative writer" feel very happy. :)_

_Oh, just to clarify because someone asked… No, Addison did not hear Alex say he was falling in love with her. That was put there so that was so you guys would know how he's feeling about her. :) He may share the knowledge with her soon, if you guys are nice. ;)_

Caroline had provided Derek with her medical records, and he was looking at the CD of her MRI on his computer. "So, you said you've been having seizures, changes in vision, and trouble writing?"

Caroline nodded.

"It's right here." Derek pointed to the base of her brain. "Ependymoma. Probably grade 2, from the looks of it. Just like Dr. Moore said."

"And that means what?"

"It's a tumor, but it hasn't spread too far. You'll need surgery and maybe chemo, but it shouldn't be too hard to take care of. Do you trust Dr. Moore now that you know he was right?"

"The only way I'm having this surgery is if you do it, Derek."

* * *

Addison faced her first challenge of crutches at lunch that afternoon. She was standing in front of the refrigerator in the cafeteria, wondering how she was going to get the door open, get the food, and carry it to a table when she was already horribly clumsy on her crutches when she felt a hand squeeze her shoulder.

She turned to see Alex standing there. "Hey!" Addison's face brightened.

"Need some help?"

"No… I can do it."

Alex gave her a look. "No, you can't. What do you want?"

"A salad… The one with the chicken fingers on it." Addison said, somewhat sheepishly. "And fat-free French dressing." Alex nodded, and got the items for her.

Once they were in line, she tried to hand Alex a ten-dollar bill for her lunch, but he wouldn't accept it. "It's on me today."

"You don't have to do that."

"It's my fault you're hurt, so it's the least I can do." Alex smiled a little. "Are you sitting with Callie and George?"

"Yes."

Alex carried her food to Callie and George's table and set it down for her. The four exchanged greetings, then Callie cleared her throat.

"You, the menfolk." Callie waved her hand at the table's male occupants dismissively. "Shoo, so we can talk about Alex."

George's face fell. "But..."

"Scram!" Callie gave him a look, and he gathered his things, mumbling under his breath. Alex leaned over and pressed his lips against the side of Addison's head before walking away, a gesture neither Callie nor the gawking interns missed.

Callie watched them walk across the cafeteria, and then turned to Addison. "So, what happened to your foot?"

"Alex's idea of a date? Ice skating."

Callie burst into laughter. "I take it you're not a great skater?"

"Does it look like I am?" Addison gestured to her foot.

"So, what does this mean for Finn?"

"Actually… Finn removed himself from 'the running' anyway. He's moving to Alabama to be a professor at Auburn."

Callie was surprised. "Really? Does that upset you?"

Addison stabbed at a tomato in her salad and shrugged. "He's sweet. We had a good time. He made me remember that men can be genuinely sweet and attentive. He was probably the perfect guy. But he wasn't…" She stopped.

"Wasn't what?" Callie prodded.

Addison looked at her with a wistful smile. "Alex."

Callie smirked. "See, 'the help' isn't bad, huh? Nothing wrong with liking an occasional bad boy, either."

"I thought you said I should stay away from 'bad boys.'"

"No, that was all Miranda! I say bring the bad boys on! Especially when they're delicious like Alex."

"See, that's the thing. He's not a bad boy. Not really. He loves to act like he is, but you should have seen how concerned he was when I got hurt."

"Sex last night?"

"None."

Callie frowned in disappointment. "Damn."

"He was just so sweet about my ankle, and he took such good care of me… And last night, we fell asleep on his futon and he spooned me all night."

Callie snorted. "George thinks _I'm_ supposed to spoon _him._"

Addison laughed at the mental image of that. "I woke up with his arms around me… And it felt like that's where his arms are supposed to be."

Callie thrust her finger in and out of her mouth in a "gag me" motion. "It's takes a lot to nauseate me, Ads, but you're doing it."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm glad you're happy."

"Do you think it would be wrong to date him?"

But Callie wasn't looking at Addison anymore. He eyes were fixed over Addison's shoulder, off into the distance. "Please tell me he didn't go out and find a _new_ young thing."

Addison turned and followed Callie's gaze and her eyes landed on her sister, being escorted into the cafeteria by her ex-husband. "Oh my God!"

Callie looked at Addison. "What?"

"It's my sister."

* * *

"Who is Shepherd with?" George asked, confused, at his table with the other interns.

"That's McBarbie… Addison's sister." Meredith muttered.

"Damn, she is McBarbie, isn't she?" Cristina examined the girl and turned back to Alex with a smug smirk. "Too bad Addison didn't get the huge knockers in the family."

"McBarbie didn't get them either. They're copyrighted by Mark Sloan."

"Seriously?"

"Half her body is plastic! He told me she's had over $25,000 worth of work, and she's 27! She's been carved on more than a jack-o-lantern."

Cristina was amused. "Why on earth do you act so bothered by her hanging around with McDreamy?"

"Pretty redheads who hang around my boyfriend make me nervous."

* * *

Derek caught Addison's eye, placed his hands on Caroline's shoulders and steered her over in Addison's direction. "Look what I found, Addie."

Addison and her sister were separated in age by a decade, but they had always gotten along fairly well. They really didn't have much in common. Caroline's concern was with the written word, with abstract concepts and the way things looked and flowed. Addison was concerned with more concrete concepts. Cut here, sew here. In spite of being dissimilar, the two women had become close when Derek started acting distant. Caroline would bring over restaurant take out and they would watch old movies and chat for hours, learning a lot from each other by sharing their very different lives.

Derek whispered something in Caroline's ear. She shoved his arm. "Yeah, I get it, okay? I will. Go away."

Addison looked curiously at Caroline. "What was that?"

"Nothing." Caroline leaned over to give Addison a hug, then sat next to her. She finally noticed Callie. She stuck out her right hand. "I'm Caroline."

Callie gave her hand a gentle shake. "Callie."

"So, what are you doing in Seattle?" Addison asked.

"Well, things were getting boring back in New York, so I decided to come here and let your ex-husband cut on my brain." Caroline laughed nervously. She was the type of person who had to joke about serious situations in order to get through them.

Callie arched a brow, and Addison's face paled.

"You're joking… Right?" Addison asked her younger sister.

Caroline sighed. "I'm afraid not. Derek says I have a… What did he call it? An.. Ep… something… oma…?"

"Ependymoma?" Addison asked.

"That was it. He's going to operate 2 days from now."

"Derek's operating?" Addison was a bit surprised. Caroline nodded.

"Those are very treatable." Callie attempted to reassure both women. "And Derek is the best."

Caroline smiled weakly at her. "That's why I'm here."

"Do Mom and Dad know?"

"Yes, but not that I came out here to have the surgery. I sort of 'slipped away,' you could say. And don't you dare call them, or I'll kick your hobbling ass. I don't need Mom fussing over me."

"Well, I can definitely understand _that_."

"Well," Caroline glanced at her watch. "I better go get checked into my hotel."

"Hotel?" Addison shook her head firmly. "No, you'll stay with me."

"I thought you lived in a hotel." Caroline was confused.

"I did, but a few weeks ago, I bought a condo." Addison stated proudly. "And I have a cat."

Caroline nodded her approval. "Nice. Okay, I'll take you up on that."

* * *

Later that night, the two women were in their pajamas, catching up with "Sabrina" playing in the background and Chinese take out on their laps. It reminded Addison of the times that they spent together in New York.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Addison asked.

"A stock trader."

"Oh, I bet he's thrilling." Addison was sarcastic.

Caroline shrugged. "He's not bad. I've dated worse. Are _you_ seeing anyone?"

"Well, there's this intern at the hospital."

Caroline laughed. "Intern? What is it with you and Derek and your interns?" Addison shot her a glare. "Sorry. What about Mark?"

"What about him?"

"Oh, nothing, he's just insanely in love with you, that's all."

"How do you know that?"

"Before he put in the cheek implants? He talked about you, the baby you two could have had, how sad he was that he lost you… He was absolutely _bawling_. It was the most pathetic thing that I have ever seen! Very un-Mark. Do you know how disconcerting it is to see the man who's about to cut your face open sobbing on your shoulder?"

"No, I can't say that I've ever had that experience."

"I'm just saying, you shouldn't complete rule him out. He's a screw up, definitely, but he's in love with you."

Addison decided it was time to change the subject. "Are you scared?"

"Of the surgery? I've had lots of surgery."

"But this is your brain, Care."

Caroline opened her mouth to answer when there was a knock at the door. She jumped up, grateful to be saved from the difficult question. "I'll get it. You keep your foot where it is."

"Mom. Dad." She spun and looked at Addison, with anger. "You called them?" Then she saw Addison's face. Addison was as surprised as she was.

Elisabeth Forbes-Montgomery had the same red hair as both of her daughters, and had the same addiction to plastic surgery as Caroline. She refused to wear anything that wasn't Chanel. Kenneth Montgomery III was a bald man, who had been quite handsome in his younger years, but the decades he worked as surgeon before finally retiring hadn't agreed with his appearance.

"Derek called us about your surgery…" Elisabeth said tearfully.

"Is there no such thing as patient/doctor confidentiality anymore? I ought to sue that asshole!" Caroline ranted.

"How did you know where to find my condo?" Addison asked, still shocked that they were there.

"I had the address from when I mailed your things, remember?"

"Yes, but how did you find it?"

"We looked for you at the hospital, and we ran into Richard, and gave us the directions... So here we are." Kenneth said.

Addison and Caroline's father was a quiet and kind man, possibly because he could never get a word in edgewise because of his wife's incessant chattering. He gave each of his daughters a tight hug and kiss on the forehead, then moved to the couch to make friends with Addison's kitten and let the women talk.

"Darling! It's been too long!" Elisabeth cried, and took Addison into her arms. She stepped back and eyed her from head to toe. "What happened to your foot?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You look tired. You should have Mark do a little something around the eyes." Elisabeth reached out and pulled the skin around Addison's skin taut to see what it would look like.

Addison gently pushed her mother's hand away. "Mom, people are supposed to look tired sometimes. People aren't supposed to look like they're in a constant state of surprise." Addison looked pointedly at her mother's eyebrows, which Mark had done a brow lift on a few years before. "I'm not interested in plastic surgery… And if I were interested? I wouldn't have Mark do it."

"Why not? He's such a sweet man!"

It wasn't a secret that Elisabeth Montgomery preferred Mark to Derek. Always, even before he was a plastic surgeon. It was around Thanksgiving when Addison had started dating Mark as a senior in college, and she brought him home for dinner. Elisabeth was instantly taken with him and had hoped that he would be the one for Addison. Mark had a way of charming parents. A few months after, when she and Mark had decided to split, Addison had brought Derek home to meet them. Though Elisabeth liked Derek fine, she never took to him the way that she did Mark. When Addison cheated with Mark all those years later, Elisabeth was pleased in a way that was abnormal for a parental reaction to her child having an affair. She had hoped that Addison would choose to stay with him instead of getting back with Derek.

"Look at the job he did on your sister's cheeks." Elisabeth said, affectionately stroking her hand against Caroline's cheek.

"I'm a bit more worried about her brain, Mom… And you should be, too."

"Of course I am! Oh, look at my beautiful girls…" Elisabeth pulled both of them in for a hug. "Kenneth, aren't our girls beautiful?"

Kenneth looked up. "Beautiful." He echoed, and returned to scratching between Soleil's ears. He was the type of man who always just agreed with his wife. 40 years of marriage had taught him that life was easier that way.

"Haven't you had time to decorate anything yet, Addie?" Elisabeth said, looking around with disdain.

Addison took a deep breath, grateful that her condo only had two bedrooms, and that Caroline's stuff was currently occupying the spare one.

_So, I have a few reasons for bringing Caroline in. I wanted to give Addison a familial aspect, and by bringing Caroline I was also able to bring her parents, so that worked well. Caroline will also inadvertently lead to more Addex, but I know you guys would hate that. ;)_

_Next up, preparation for Caroline's surgery, and "lucky" Alex dines out with the Montgomery family!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Okay, this is a short, kind of transitional chapter… I was originally going to make the details of Caroline's surgery longer, and dinner longer and more awkward. Then I realized that I'm not a doctor, so I should wiggle out of surgical details as much as possible, and, I decided that long and awkward wasn't necessary… That summary would work as well as dragging it out, because I was excited to get straight to the point! But, I think (hope!) that you guys are REALLY going to like it, anyway, and that you'll agree that it's probably better this way... ;)_

"Derek, how are you?" Elisabeth leaned forward and hugged her former son-in-law.

"I'm doing fine, Elisabeth. Have a seat. All of you." Derek gestured to the couch in his office. Addison, Elisabeth, and Kenneth all took their seats.

"Your ass is mine later for this." Caroline mumbled, so that Derek could hear her, but her parents couldn't. "What did I ever do you that you did this to me?"

"Carrie, you have a brain tumor. You need any support that you can get."

"Have you met my mother?" Carrie asked through gritted teeth, then walked to the couch and flopped down on it.

"As you know, Kenneth, these tumors are highly treatable. I just wanted to let you know what method I'm planning to take with your daughter."

Derek explained the surgery, the procedure, the risks. He was speaking to all of them, as he normally did with families, but only Kenneth and Addison actually had a clue about anything that he was saying.

"And all of that means what?" Caroline asked.

Derek took her hand. "It means that there are risks, but that I truly believe that you're going to be fine. You're going to have to trust me."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't."

* * *

"Oh, Alex… Hi." Addison smiled when she caught sight of Alex as they were leaving Derek's office. Alex smiled back and approached her. He recognized Caroline as "McBarbie" from lunch, but he wondered who the other two people who were flanking Addison were.

"Mom… Dad. This is Alex. He's an intern and we've been…" Addison took a deep breath. "Well, we've been… Dating. Alex, this is my mother, Elisabeth Montgomery, and my father, Kenneth Montgomery… And my sister, Caroline. They're here because Derek will be doing surgery on Caroline for an ependymoma."

"Well, hello." Elisabeth offered a hand, which Alex shook, still overwhelmed by all of the new people and information. "My, my… You are young." Her tone was somewhat condescending.

"Um, yeah." Alex was still shaking hands with Addison's father and sister, so he was grateful that he didn't have to look at her as she said it.

"And you'll be joining us for dinner tonight, of course." Elisabeth eyed Alex.

"I, uh, will?" Addison shot him a look that said he had better agree. "I mean, yes, of course. I will."

"Good. We'll look forward to it."

* * *

"Where did you go to school, Alex?" Elisabeth asked.

"University of Iowa." Alex replied. The past 45 minutes had been some of the most uncomfortable of his life. To begin with, he was wearing a suit, which he hated, and Elisabeth had looked at him disapprovingly the entire time, asking various questions of him. He was stuck in the hot seat. It seemed as though most of his answers had confirmed her disapproval.

"Oh, well, we're all Columbia graduates, ourselves…" Elisabeth turned back to Addison. "Speaking of Columbia, Addison, if you had just stayed in New York, your life would have been so much better. Come home."

First, it had been her hair. Elisabeth had declared that she needed highlights. Then, it was her lipstick. It was too dark, and made her look like a vampire. Then, it was her choice of specialty. Why did she want to waste her talent by looking at women's vaginas all day when she could do something glorious, like heart surgery? Finally, it was New York. Alex had listened to Elisabeth nitpick Addison for the entire meal, and had seen Addison's face fall more and more. He couldn't believe that Elisabeth had found so many things "wrong" with such a confident, poised, and successful woman. He had never seen Addison be torn to shreds so easily, not even by Derek. And he was sick of it.

Alex looked at Addison. "Please forgive me for what I'm about to do."

"What are you…"

"Leave. Her. Alone." Alex said the words slowly, and hit his hand on the table after each one, while looking directly into Elisabeth's eyes.

Elisabeth's jaw dropped. "Young man, I don't think that…"

"I'm not going to sit here and watch you insult the woman that I am in love with any longer!" Addison's eyes widened in shock. "She's a surgeon! A world-class surgeon who saves women and babies every day of her life! She's screwed up in the past, yeah, but who hasn't? How can you possibly act like what she does, who she is, isn't good enough? She's an incredible woman, and I don't see how you can sit here and destroy her like you have been for the past 45 minutes!"

Caroline chewed her lip and suddenly became very interested in the pattern of the tablecloth. Kenneth's facial expression, as usual, was unreadable. Elisabeth was stunned, having never been treated with anything but utmost respect from polite society.

Alex realized his admission, and slammed his napkin down on the table. "Excuse me."

He stood and walked out the front door of the restaurant. Addison sat there for a moment in shock, then stood, grabbed her crutches, and followed him out. Rain was slamming the ground outside, and she was soaked the moment she stepped out of under the awning of the restaurant.

"Alex… Alex, wait!"

Alex was afraid of what he just said, what she'd just heard, what she might say or think about it, so he kept walking. Addison hobbled along after him.

"It's hard to catch you on crutches, you know." Addison called out in frustration.

"That's the point."

"I'm in love with you, too!" Addison shouted. Several people turned to stare. She couldn't blame them. She must have looked like a lunatic, chasing him on crutches in the rain, but she didn't mind. At that point, she would have shouted it from the rooftops for all of Seattle to hear. He had defended her, and rescued her from her mother's constant critical remarks. If she hadn't been sure if she was falling for him before, she knew it then.

Alex stopped in his tracks and allowed Addison to catch up to him. "Do you really mean that? You're not mad at me for what I said to your mom?"

She shook her head, and wiped away the rain that was making trails down her face in her makeup. "The opposite. No one has ever taken up for me like that before. I've been listening to her talk to me that way for 37 years… I never had the guts to take up for myself. But, you? You did. Thank you."

Alex wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her into him, crashing his lips against hers and kissing her with all the passion that had been building up for her over the months. They enjoyed the kiss for a few minutes, not caring that it was raining, not caring that he had just ruined his chances of her parents ever liking him, but just enjoying the moment, enjoying the way they felt about each other.

He finally released her, reluctantly. His fingers toyed with a stray strand of her damp hair, and tucked it behind her ear. His eyes met hers, and he smiled a little. "I love you."

"I love you too, Alex."

_Are you crazy, crazy Addex-ers happy now:)_


	15. Chapter 15

_Man, I give you guys a little Addex and you get all excited! ;) Guess what? You're about to get more!_

_Incidentally, I haven't "installed" Preston as the Chief yet… So it's still Richard. I'll get around to switching them sometime, lol. :) And sorry, this chapter is a bit long._

* * *

Addison awoke the next morning in her bed to find Alex smiling at her, and their naked bodies still intertwined from the night before.

"Morning, baby." Alex gave her a light squeeze and a kiss on the cheek. "How are you?

"Mm… Another morning waking up in your arms?" Addison smiled and traced her finger over his bare chest. "I'd say I'm wonderful."

"Do you still love me today?"

Addison laughed. "Of course I do. More than yesterday."

"I love you too." His lips met hers in a gentle kiss.

"Good." Addison smiled.

Alex sniffed at the air. "Do you smell bacon?"

"Yeah, I do. Caroline must have cooked."

"You hungry?"

"After the workout you gave me last night?" Addison gave him a sly smile. "I'm famished."

The couple dressed and headed to the kitchen, where Caroline had created a spread of French toast, bacon, fruit salad, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Morning!" Caroline greeted them from a barstool at the breakfast bar.

"You didn't eat anything, right?" Addison asked, concerned. "Because you can't eat before having surgery."

"I know, silly. I didn't eat anything. I made this for you love birds. It sounded like you were having a wild night. Thought you might need some energy." Caroline grinned.

"She cooks when she's nervous." Addison explained, fixing a plate for her and one for Alex.

"Sounds like someone else I know." Alex laughed, thinking of Izzie.

Addison and Alex dug into the food. They really were starving from their night of passion, plus walking out before they were finished with dinner the night before.

"This is excellent, Care." Addison said. Alex nodded his agreement.

Caroline didn't respond.

"Are you ready for your surgery?" Addison asked.

"What?" Caroline looked at her blankly.

"Caroline?" Alex eyed her, knowing something wasn't right. "Are you okay?"

Caroline stared at him and shook her head. She slumped off of the barstool and crashed onto the floor, her body convulsing violently.

"Damn it! She's seizing! Move everything out of the way!" Alex jumped up and shoved everything near her out of the way and stood back while Caroline thrashed wildly on the floor. Addison sat frozen in place until the seizing stopped a few moments later. Alex waited to make sure that it was over, then knelt on the floor to examine her.

"I-I'm sorry… It's so weird…" Addison whispered. "Seeing her so out of control…"

"It's okay." Alex's voice was gentle. "We need to go ahead and get her to the hospital a little earlier than we planned."

"Ready for a nice, long nap?" Derek asked Caroline later after entering her hospital room. Addison was sitting on the edge of her bed, while her parents were resting in chairs off to the side.

"As long as you don't mean death." Caroline said wryly.

Derek sat down on the side of Caroline's bed, opposite Addison. "Of course not."

"What about the scar, Derek? How bad is the scar going to be?" Elisabeth asked worriedly.

"He's about to drill into her brain, and all you care about is the damn scar?" Addison shouted at her mother, exasperated by, but not surprised by her mother's continued preoccupation with appearances.

Derek shook his head slightly at Addison, and reached across Caroline's legs to grab her hand and squeeze it. There was no sizzle; no jolt of electricity like there had been in the past when he had touched her. But the familiarity was soothing, and she calmed down immediately.

Derek released Addison's hand, gathered Caroline's hair, and lifted it up. He ran his fingers over the area where he was going to operate. "It'll be right here. Her hair, once it grows back, will cover it."

"Oh no… Her hair… Her beautiful hair." Elisabeth's eyes filled with tears as she glanced at the razor and scissors that were sitting on a tray, waiting to remove her daughter's hair.

"Yes… The nurse will be in shortly to… Shave it." Derek said slowly.

"I'll do it." Addison said quietly. She didn't want her sister to have her favorite feature taken away by someone she didn't know.

Derek cast a sideways glance at her. "Addie… You really don't have to. The nurse can d—"

"I want to."

"Let's get it over with, then." Caroline sighed.

Addison slowly brushed Caroline's red spiral curls back into a ponytail and wrapped a hair barrette around the base. She picked up the scissors in her right hand, opened them, and poised them over the base ponytail. Her eyes closed for a brief moment, then she opened them and closed the scissors around the hair, trying to ignore the ripping sound as it was cut. Her heart sank.

"Some place in New York… Should be able to make a wig out of it." Addison said weakly, and handed the long ponytail to her mother.

Addison took a deep breath and picked up the razor, but as soon as she turned it on and heard the buzzing, she turned it back off and let it drop back onto the table. "Okay… I can't do it. I'm sorry… I can't." Addison stood up and rushed out of the room.

Without hesitating, Derek followed after her.

* * *

He found her by the nursery window, where he knew he would. It was a thing in hospitals, Derek had learned. When people needed somewhere to escape to, whether they were doctors, patients, or visitors, the nursery was that place. Something about viewing the new, precious lives inside instantly cheered people up, and helped them forget where they were and why.

"Addison."

Addison looked away from the babies and at Derek. "Hi." She turned back to the window. "I was 10 when Caroline was that small… I tried to treat her like she was my baby doll. She didn't like the bonnet I put on her very much." Addison laughed softly at the memory, wiping tears from her eyes.

Derek rubbed Addison's arm gently. "There was a time when you would have trusted me with your life, Addison. Can't you trust me with your sister's?"

"I would still trust you with my life…" Addison said quietly. "Especially if it was something with my brain. But does that mean I'm not allowed to worry?

"Of course not." Derek said, giving her a light kiss on the top of her head. "I know you're worried. And you know I'll do everything I can."

Addison nodded. "I know. I know you will." She looked up at him. "But what if it isn't enough?"

* * *

Alex poked his head in the door of Caroline's private room. "Hey. I just wanted to see how… Oh, uh, hi." Alex noticed that Caroline's parents were with her.

"Mom, Dad? Would you please excuse us for a moment?" Caroline asked. Her parents nodded, and moved toward the door.

"I can't approve of your outburst." Elisabeth said to Alex as she edged past him to exit. Alex looked down. "But it's obvious that you love my daughter very much… And she's lucky to have that." She offered him a slight smile, and left the room without another word.

Caroline and Alex were left alone in silence. By that time, the nurse had shaved Caroline's head, so that only the scattered stubble of color showed that there had ever been hair there.

"So… Going for the Britney Spears look?" Alex joked in an attempt to break the ice.

Caroline laughed, in spite of herself. "Har har. I wanted to talk to you. Sit."

"Am I in trouble?"

"The opposite. I don't think you realize what you did for my sister last night."

Alex sighed. "Listen, I know it was kind of an asshole thing to do, but…"

"No, you don't understand. It was perfect. It was what she needed. Our mother? She's been doing that to her for 37 years. Insulting her and trying to run her life, that is. And most of the time? She's been successful. She told Addison to dance; Addison took every kind of dance that there was. She told Addison to compete in beauty pageants; Addison ended up being Miss Big Apple Princess or some crap like that. She told Addison to join her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega… And she did. She told Addison she should go to medical school. Well, I'm sure you know how that one turned out. About the only thing Mom didn't win was trying to get her to marry Mark."

Alex blinked. "She wanted her to marry Mark?"

"I'm telling you, the woman is insane."

"I just can't imagine Addison letting anyone control her."

"That's exactly why she won't let anyone else have that kind of control over her. She let Mom break her, but she won't let anyone else do the same."

"What about you? Didn't your mom do any of that to you?"

Caroline smiled sadly. "I was pretty, Alex. My nose was fine. I was okay with having small boobs and thin calves and cheeks. She's the one who made me feel differently about that. She's the one who made me think I needed to change. But now? Sometimes, I look in the mirror now, and I don't even recognize myself. And I hate that."

Alex shook his head. "I don't see how a mother can do that to her children."

"I told you. She's insane. But, I didn't keep you here to talk about Mom, other than to tell you that you were absolutely right to say what you did last night. I want to talk about you and Addison."

"What about us?"

"Do you really love her?"

"I… I've never said those words to anyone before last night."

"And you meant them?"

"Probably more than I've meant anything I've ever said."

"Then promise me you'll take care of her. Promise me you won't break her heart. Promise me you'll never neglect her the way that Derek did." Caroline's eyes were pleading.

"I promise." Alex said softly.

"And… If anything happens to me…."

"Caroline, you're not going to die!"

"If! I said if! Make sure she knows I loved her… And that she was a great big sister.

Alex nodded silently.

* * *

"I don't care what you say, Richard. I'm watching my sister's surgery from the gallery." Addison was arguing with Richard in the hallway when Alex left Caroline's room.

"Addie… I'm saying this in your best interest. It's hard to watch someone in your family have surgery. You'd be in a position of zero control, and it would only frustrate you." Richard said, his hand firmly but tenderly resting on her shoulder.

"The chief is right, Addison." Alex said gently. "I really don't think that you want to see this…"

Addison looked at Alex. "Please don't… Don't tell me what I want. I'm going up there. I'm going to watch."

The words stung, but Alex tried to push them out of his mind, remembering that she was scared. "Then I'm going with you."

Richard cocked a brow at Alex. He had suspected that Alex and Addison were starting a relationship, but he didn't know anything for sure. He wasn't going to push them for details yet either, not when Addison was preoccupied with her sister.

"You'll be… 'Responsible' for her?" Richard still didn't want her in the gallery, but he also knew that arguing with Addison was pointless. She always got her way.

Addison rolled her eyes. "For God's sake, Richard, I'm not a child."

"I'll make sure she's okay." Alex assured him.

"All right, then." Richard said reluctantly. "I'll check in occasionally, too.

"Thank you." Addison mumbled quietly.

* * *

"Everything looks good. We got the entire tumor." Derek said a few hours later, pleased. He snapped off his gloves and removed the equipment from his head. "You can close up here." Derek was headed to the door to scrub out when the monitor began beeping frantically.

"Dr. Shepherd! She's crashing!" Cristina yelled to him anxiously. Derek raced back over to the table.

Watching from the gallery, Addison stood up and took off out the door, leaving her crutches behind and jumping on her good foot. Because Alex was intently watching Derek's actions, it took him a few moments to realize that she was gone. Once he did, he bolted out the door after her.

"Damn it, Caroline! Don't you dare do this to me… Don't do this to her!" Derek locked his fingers, one hand over the other, and desperately pumped Caroline's chest. He felt a rib crack beneath the pressure and winced.

Alex caught up to Addison in the scrub room. She was curled into a ball on the floor, crying and holding a surgical mask. She had apparently been planning to go into the O.R. before she'd ended up on the floor. He sat down on the floor beside her, not knowing whether it was her ankle or her sobbing that had cause her to drop to the ground. She slumped over onto him so that her head was in his lap and wept. He bent over her and wrapped his arms around her, rocking her back and forth as though she was a child.

"I love you, baby… She's going to be okay… He's going to save her." Alex murmured into her hair, though he wasn't too sure himself.

"Come on!" Derek was still pushing up and down on Caroline's chest, harder. Another rib cracked. "She's been through enough! Don't give up, damn it!"

_Some notes on this one:_

_I made Addison a member of my sorority. :P_

_For those of you who may not be familiar with CPR… If it's done correctly, the chance of breaking ribs is pretty high, according to what I learned in CPR class… Of course, I've only ever done it on dummies, and I kind of hope it stays that way. :P_

_And about the seizure… You're not supposed to try to restrain someone, you're supposed to just get everything out of the person's way. I kind of figured that even though they are doctors, since they had no tools or meds or anything, that they would have probably followed that procedure._

_Thanks to the American Red Cross for that training. :)_

_So, back to the story… Will Derek be able to save Caroline? _


	16. Chapter 16

"What if she dies, Alex?" Addison sobbed.

Alex rocked Addison in his arms, and remembered the promise he'd made to Caroline. He almost didn't want to tell Addison what Caroline had said, not then, not when she was already upset. But a promise was a promise. "I think… I think that she's going to pull through this… But she told me, if anything happened to her… That I need to take good care of you… And she wanted you to know that she loves you and you're a great sister."

Addison's sobs got louder, and Alex squeezed her tightly.

"Please Caroline!" Derek begged, as he continued to do compressions on her chest. He pulled back and watched the monitor. The flat line jumped, and returned to a normal rhythm. "Oh, thank God… Thank God! You're going to be okay, kid…" Derek affectionately stroked Caroline's cheek.

"Page me immediately if anything changes with her, got it?" Derek said. Cristina nodded, and Derek left the O.R.

At the sink, Derek breathed a sigh of relief and began to scrub his hands in the sink.

After a few moments, he heard a voice from the corner of the room. "She's dead… Isn't she?" Derek turned to face the voice, and saw Addison curled on the floor with her head in Alex's lap, shaking. Her face and eyes were red, and Alex was slowly stroking her hair, trying to comfort her.

Derek quickly finished scrubbing out, then walked over and squatted beside them. "What? No, honey, no… She's going to be okay. We got the tumor out. She's okay."

"A-are you sure?" Addison's voice was choked, and barely above a whisper.

"Promise." Derek offered her a small smile. "I'm going to go tell your parents, then check on some other patients… But, I told them to page me if anything happens. You'll be able to see her soon."

Addison nodded, but her body was still trembling from the stress of the whole situation, and tears were still flowing down her cheeks. "T-thanks."

He nodded to her, then looked to Alex. "Her back." He said quietly, standing up again.

Alex looked up at him, confused. "Huh?"

"Try stroking her back… It… It's the best way to calm her down."

Alex nodded, moved his hand from Addison's hair to her back, and began to trace small circles on it. Addison's eyes closed and a small smile formed on her lips.

Derek smiled slightly. "It… It looks like she had found the happiness I hoped she would." He said softly, and leaned back against the door to pushed his way out, leaving them there on the floor.

* * *

"Why does my _chest_ hurt?" Caroline moaned a couple of hours later, her first words since her surgery.

Derek looked up from his chart. Addison jumped up from her chair and rushed to Caroline's bedside. "You're awake!" Elisabeth and Kenneth followed after her, so that they were all gathered around the bed, staring down at her.

"You gave me quite a scare, young lady… All of us, actually." Derek said, feigning anger.

"I'll ask again…" Caroline said slowly. "Why does my _chest_ hurt?"

"You crashed on us... We thought we'd lost you. I broke a couple of your ribs when I was doing CPR." Derek explained.

"Way to go, slick." Caroline smiled slightly and closed her eyes.

"Oh, sorry, you know… I was just saving your life." Derek teased, and patted her hand. "How's your head?"

"Just the worst pain of my life."

Derek nodded. "I figured as much. Don't worry. We'll fix that." He made a note on her chart. "We got all of the tumor, and it was benign, so you probably won't have to have chemo after all. We'll have to wait and see, though."

"Fabulous." Caroline said. "When can I go home?"

"We'll keep you here for a few days. Then, I'd recommend resting and recovering for a while before hopping a plane back to the city." Derek glanced at Addison. "I bet your big sis would put you up for a while."

Addison nodded. "Of course."

"Knock, knock!" Mark's head poked through the doorway. "How's my favorite Care Bear?"

Derek coughed to keep from throwing up. "Ugh. On that note, I'm out of here. I'll be in later to check on you." Derek gave Caroline a smile, then edged past Mark to exit the room.

"Darling!" Elisabeth squealed at the sight of Mark. "I was beginning to think that you were avoiding me!"

"My favorite patient? Never!" Mark wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. "You look great!"

Elisabeth giggled girlishly. "Oh, Mark!"

Caroline rolled her eyes and looked at Addison. "Why do they have to do this when I'm unable to escape?"

Addison cleared her throat and clasped her hands together. "Okay, everyone, she needs her rest." She herded her parents and Mark out the door. "I'll be back later, Care."

* * *

"Hey." Alex smiled at Addison and gave her a brief kiss on the cheek. "How is she?"

"She's great, actually. The tumor was benign and Derek's expecting a full recovery."

"That's great!"

"Thank you. For everything."

"Me? I didn't do anything."

"You took care of me. That meant a lot."

"I want to take care of you… If you'll let me."

Addison smiled and kissed him softly. "I will."

"We'll have to tell Dr. Webber... About us."

Addison nodded. "Definitely. We will after things with Caroline wind down a bit, okay?"

Alex winked. "It's a date."

* * *

By the time Addison had checked on some of her own patients and returned to her sister's room, Caroline was holding a red pen in her left hand and furiously marking a piece of paper.

"What is she doing?" Addison asked Derek.

"I'm editing!" Caroline said, making another deliberate mark on the page.

Addison glared at Derek. "You're letting her work?"

"No, she wanted something to do… So, I grabbed her a pen and some brochures to play with. From outside your office, actually."

Caroline looked at Derek, insulted. "Play with? I'm not a kid! I'm not playing here. This is my job!"

"I thought you weren't a copy editor." Addison teased.

"I'm not. But seriously, Ads, do you think anyone wants to look at a clipart of an elderly woman in stirrups getting a pelvic exam?" Caroline waved her pen around the picture, which she had crossed out and written "NO!" next to in big red letters.

"I don't pick the brochures!"

"I'm mailing this back to the publisher with my suggestions."

Addison glared at Derek. "Thanks a lot for getting her started, Derek!"

"Hey, don't blame me! I figure anything that proves to me that her brain works is good." Derek said, taking Caroline's brochure from her to look at her work. "Hey, are you sure that's how you spell 'accidentally'?"

Caroline crossed her arms. "Do I question you about brain surgery?"

"Well, no, uh, but…"

"Then don't question me about my job!" Caroline grabbed the brochure back from him and continued to edit it.

Derek looked at Addison, crestfallen. "I've been spelling it wrong in my charts for 15 years…"

Addison laughed and patted his arm. "Aww…. It's okay. At least it seems like she's getting back to normal."

"Excuse me." Derek and Addison turned around and saw a young man they had never seen before. "I'm looking for Caroline."

"Matt?"

"Hey!" Matt rushed over to Caroline. "I was so worried about you!" Matt sat on the side of her bed. "You flew across the country for brain surgery, and you didn't even tell me!"

"I'm sorry." Caroline mumbled. "I didn't want you to worry."

Derek slipped out of the room to give them their privacy and Addison slowly followed, but she couldn't help but watch the exchange between her sister and the man she assumed was the stock trader. Apparently, Caroline had downplayed their relationship.

"I was worried when I couldn't get a hold of you for three days! I called Marty and she said something about Seattle… So I figured you were here to see your sister, and imagine my shock when I find out from a nurse that you were here to have a tumor removed!"

Caroline looked down, and a tear rolled down her face. "I'm sorry… Please don't be mad at me… I… I just didn't want to put you through this."

Matt tilted her head up to look at him, and brushed the tear away with the back of his hand. "Put me through it! I love you, Caroline. I'm not mad at you. I'm just glad you're okay."

"I love you too." Caroline said softly, as Matt climbed into the bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her, spooning her. Addison watched them for a moment, then decided it was definitely time to take her leave, and walked out of the room.

Addison leaned against the door and smiled. "I have that." She whispered to herself. "He feels that way about me."

* * *

The first time Addison and Alex had sex, it was playful, the culmination of their flirtations. The second, Addison had been the aggressor. After hearing Alex tell off her mother, she wanted him. And she got him, rather roughly.

But the third time, it was romantic. After their long day at the hospital, Alex laid Addison gently on his bed. He lowered his lips to hers slowly, and gently pressed his tongue between them to stroke her tongue lightly with his own. His strong hands held her tightly against his body. He told her he loved her as he entered her, and his movements were slow. He was trying to make the amazing feelings last as long as possible. He caressed every curve of her body softly, as though he was trying to memorize the way that she felt in his arms.

"I've never done that before, you know." Alex whispered into her ear after, as he cuddled her in his arms.

"What's that?" Addison whispered. Her eyes were closed and her head was against his chest. She was listening to his heart beat.

His lips brushed against her eyelids. "I've never made love to a woman… Because I never loved a woman before you..."

_I gotta tell you, guys... Caroline owes her life to you! I brought her into this fic with every intention of bumping her off, but you wanted her to stay… Ask and you shall receive. :) Happy Addison is more fun to write than sad, anyway. The in-law requests? Well, we'll have to see about that. :)_

_So, I have a slight problem now. I had the story planned out to this point, but I don't know what comes next. I know what comes a little while down the road for Addex, but I'm not sure what happens with them now, at this point. Would you rather that I just skip ahead, or do you have any ideas that you want me to fill in with? I can probably come up with something while spacing out in my "Introduction to Literary Research" class (yes, it's every bit as horrible and boring as it sounds), but we'll see._

_Oh, and in case I've worried anyone at any point, don't worry… This fic is never going to go Addek, not in the romantic sense. I think they both deserve better than how they were together, but for some reason, I feel this need to make their divorce amicable and make them friends. :)_


	17. Chapter 17

_I was going to write a scene with Addison/Alex and the interns here, but for some reason, nothing really interesting struck me… I think I will address that later, when I skip ahead a bit. I have a better idea of how to do it then. So, here you go… Probably the last chapter in this part of time._

* * *

"So, you two have started a relationship." Richard leaned back in his chair.

Addison and Alex looked at each other and nodded.

"Then I'll tell you what I've told the others, not that it has mattered or been followed for the most part, but I'll keep saying it, I guess… You have to leave your personal lives out of your work lives. If he's working under you and he does something stupid, which will probably happen, you're going to have to discipline him for it, Addie."

Alex had a little grin at the thought of what "discipline" from Addison might entail. Addison caught him out of the corner of her eye and elbowed him, hard. "Right Richard, of course. You know I will do that."

"Okay, then that's it. You have patients to get to, Addie. You're free to go. Thank you for coming to me." Addison nodded and walked toward the door. Alex started to follow her.

"Wait a minute, Alex." Richard shooed Addison out of his office, and gestured Alex back over.

Addison looked confused, but shrugged. "I'll be helping my sister get ready to leave."

Richard watched her leave. "Alex, that woman is like a daughter to me."

"Yes, sir."

"Seeing her so hurt by Derek and Mark has been hard on me. If you hurt her too, I will kick your ass. Seriously. With pain. The physical kind."

"Yes, sir."

"I may be stepping down as chief, but I will still be doing some surgery in this hospital. I will be watching you."

"Yes, sir."

"And just because I won't be chief anymore doesn't mean that I can't make your life hell."

"Yes, sir."

"Are we clear on that?" Richard was staring him down.

"Of course, sir." Alex didn't break eye contact.

"That said, from what I've witnessed so far… I think you're just what she needs."

'Thank you, sir."

* * *

"Hey, are you ready to be discharged?" Addison asked Caroline.

"Shouldn't you be asking me that?" Derek asked with the laugh.

"Okay, fine, great and honorable Dr. Shepherd… Can my sister go home with me now?"

"Yes, she can. I think she can probably go back to Manhattan next week." Derek looked at Caroline. "You'll follow up with Dr. Moore, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure whatever! Look what I got!" Caroline proudly stuck out her left hand to show of a large, asscher-cut diamond in a platinum pave setting to her sister.

"Congratulations!" Addison examined the ring, grinned, and wrapped her arms around her sister for a tight hug. Derek slipped out of the room in an effort to avoid the girl fest. "When's the wedding?"

Caroline scoffed. "Wedding? Please. After what Mom did to yours? No thanks. We're thinking of going on a cruise and getting married on the ship, or maybe on a little island. You'll be invited, of course."

To say that Addison's mother had gone "overboard" for Addison's wedding would have an understatement. The wedding gown had been custom made by a designer in Paris. Dinner had been foie gras, despite protests from Addison and Derek about the way that the animals were treated. 400 guests, half of whom Addison and Derek didn't even know, had drunk $10,000 worth of Cristal champagne.

"Well, I am very happy for you. We should celebrate! I'll take you to dinner, anywhere you want. Is Matt still here?"

"No, he had to go back to the city for work… I'd rather do something more low key than a fancy dinner. What about that bar you're always talking about?"

"Remember, Caroline. No alcohol." Addison said firmly, since Caroline was still on painkillers.

"Please, Addison. I'm high on life... And Percocet."

Addison laughed. "Well, if you just want to go there to hang out…"

Caroline shrugged. "Hey, why not? It sounds like a lot of crazy things have gone on there. For starters, it's the scene of the crime." Caroline was referring to when Derek met Meredith.

Addison rolled her eyes. "Do you want to wear one of your scarves?" Caroline nodded.

Addison had bought her a couple of Hermès and Burberry silk scarves for her head until the wig was made. She selected the one that she thought complemented Caroline's outfit, and began to wrap it on her head.

"How do you know how to do this?" Caroline asked, amazed at her sister's skill with wrapping the scarf around her head.

Addison shrugged. "One time, back in New York… Derek asked me to help one of his patients with putting one on… It took me 20 minutes, somehow figured it out. Then, he started calling me for 'consults' every time he had a female patient who needed to learn how to do it, so I got good at it."

"Aw, that's sweet." Caroline said sincerely, then grabbed her suitcase. "Okay, let's get the hell out of here. I hate hospitals!"

* * *

"A vodka martini, please, Joe… And just a pop for my sister, Caroline."

Caroline wrinkled her nose at Addison. "Pop? You call it 'pop' now? Ugh, what is this place doing to you?" She looked back at Joe. "I will have a _soda._ A Diet Coke, to be exact, please._"_

"Well, if it isn't my two favorite girls!"

The dreaded voice. Addison refused to turn around, but Caroline did.

"Hey, asshole." Caroline greeted Mark.

"All I've done for you, Care Bear, and that's the best nickname you can come up with for me?"

Caroline shrugged. "I call them like I see them."

Mark shook his head, then turned to Addison. "I'd like to talk to you, Addie."

"We have nothing to discuss."

"Hey, what's up?" Alex joined the conversation.

"Hey, Alex!" Caroline cleared her throat. "Do you play pool?"

"Yes, but…"

"Great!" Caroline said a little too brightly. "I suck. You can teach me everything you know. Come on." She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the pool table. "Trust me, you don't want to listen to that."

"I should go back over there." Alex glanced over his shoulder. "I should chase Sloan away from her."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Okay, so I know you're in love with her and that you like, get off on the idea of protecting her… But this has been a long time coming, and she has to settle this score for herself. She's a big girl. If there's anyone she can handle, it's Sloan."

"But I—" Alex tried to go walk over to Addison, but Caroline blocked his path.

"You wouldn't try to knock over a girl who just had a brain tumor removed, would you?"

"Maybe.

"Even if you were in love with her sister and you'd probably get in trouble for it?"

Alex sighed. "I guess not."

"Good. Rack 'em. She's fine."

Alex cast another glance in Addison and Mark's direction and sighed. Things seemed to be getting more heated between them, but he obeyed Caroline and began to rack the pool balls.

"I want another chance." Mark said.

"You had your chance for those two months we were together in New York, and you blew it. I'm not giving you any more chances. "

"So, you expected Derek to forgive you for cheating on him, but you won't forgive me?"

"Whoa, whoa." Addison was laughing. "You somehow think _that_ argument is going to help your case? You know exactly why I slept with you. I was lonely. I was scared. I was hurting. I'm not saying I should have cheated on my husband for those reasons, because I know there's no excuse for that, but at least they're reasons. Oh, and we were married for 11 years. You? You cheated on me after 2 months, for no good reason other than you're a man-whore and you couldn't keep it in your pants!"

She had him there, and he didn't bother trying to refute it. "Okay, so you slept with me back then because you were sad and all of that. Why did you continue to do so when I started working here?"

"God, Mark, you have to know that they call you McSteamy!"

Mark looked a little smug at that. "Well, yes…"

"You made me feel desirable. You made me feel beautiful."

"You _are_ desirable. You _are_ beautiful." Mark placed his hand on her thigh, bare because she was wearing a skirt.

"And now he's touching her…" Alex, who hadn't been paying much attention to the pool game, dropped his cue stick and balled his hand into a fist.

"Pipe down. She won't let him get away with it." Caroline assured him. They both watched as Addison wound back and slapped Mark's hand away with a _crack _that they could hear from far across the bar. "See?"

"I have money, fame... What is that kid possibly going to give you that I can't?"

"Love."

"I do love you, Addie."

"I know you do. I believe that, in some weird and warped way, you do love me. But, not the way he does. Not the way that I want to be loved… And…" Addison's voice softened slightly. "I never loved you the way I love him."

Mark set his jaw. "You better watch him." He warned. "I hear he also has a thing for screwing nurses."

Addison leaned forward. "But he's smart enough not to screw them now that he has me. You? Not so smart in that department. You will never hurt me again, because I will never give you that chance."

With that, she sauntered over to the pool table, intentionally putting an extra swing in her hips, just to remind Mark of what he'd lost.

_

* * *

_

_So, there, I knocked Mark out of the picture too. It's kind of funny, because when I'm watching the show, I'm not really sure whether I'm a Maddison fan or an Addex fan… I go back and forth. Kate Walsh would seriously have chemistry with a telephone pole if they asked her to. I'm just a huge Addison fan, and I don't know exactly why. :) Maybe it's because we share the exact same hair color. ;)_

_Oh, incidentally, if you're not familiar with foie gras… It's the liver of a goose or duck that has been force-fed through a tube. Gross, I know. My fiancé had to eat it when he studied abroad in France because it was his host family's final meal for him before he left, and a rather expensive one at that._

_And if you say "pop," I wasn't dissing you, because I say "pop." :)_

_Okay, so I've wrapped up the loose ends here. After this chapter, I'm planning on going into the future! I have no further conflict/story that I can think of to go with here, so it's time to move ahead a few months… Unless I think of something fun when I'm suffering through English 680 tonight. I'm very excited about what I have sketched out for them in the "a few months from now" time period. If you guys are good, I might get the first chapter of that up tonight. :)_


	18. Chapter 18

_Okay, so I finished this and decided to go ahead and put it up for you. :)_

The next five months went smoothly for Addison and Alex, and their growing relationship. Though the interns were skeptical at first, they had warmed up to Addison, and the idea of the two as a couple. Addison and Alex spent nearly every free moment they had together, and even attended Caroline's wedding in St. Thomas. Alex had practically moved into her condo with her, making daily sex convenient.

It was the nearly daily sex that landed Addison and Callie in the home pregnancy test aisle of the pharmacy across town.

"This feels like college all over again." Addison muttered, as she stared at a wide array of home pregnancy tests.

"I'm sorry?" Callie cocked her head.

"My first sexual experience ever… It was with Mark, as you know… The damn condom broke. Can you believe that 'luck'? He must have had the thing for 8 years or something. We spent the next hour trying to figure out what to do, and if I would get pregnant from it… We did research, we charted ovulation…"

"Damn, you were clearly geeky future doctors."

"I worried so much that I made my period late. So, I had to do this whole thing." Addison waved her hand at the tests. "I went to the opposite side of the city, hoping that no one I knew would see me… Kind of like what I'm doing now. Though that would have been kind of hard in New York. It was negative, incidentally." She was rambling.

"Okay, let's focus. Which one would you tell your patients to buy?"

"I probably wouldn't. I urge them to have blood tests so I could make them come and see me about pre-natal care."

Callie rolled her eyes. "Okay… So, you could just get a blood test at the hospital, you know."

"And risk someone finding out, the way gossip spreads there? No thanks."

Callie was getting slightly frustrated with her friend, but she was trying to be supportive. She selected a test and pressed it into Addison's hand. "This one is on TV all the time. I'm sure it's fine."

"Will you come with…"

Callie was already nodding.

* * *

"I can't look at it."

"Well, that's fine, because you have another 3 minutes." Callie responded, settling down on Addison's bathroom floor, which was kept impeccably clean by Addison's weekly maid. "Which means you can fill me in. What happened, anyway?"

"I don't know, exactly… But latex breaks as I know well."

"No Pill?"

"I'm over 35… I know I could technically take it, but blood clots are in my family, so I decided not to take the risk. I went off of it about a year ago." The OB/GYN part of her was kicking in.

"Oh, gotcha."

"Is it weird that part of me _really_ wants it to be positive, but another kind of wants it to be negative?"

"No. I had that same feeling about a month ago with a scare of my own."

"Seriously?"

"I wanted mine to be positive because, you know, a baby with George would be great… But while I'm in my residency? It would be so hard."

"So, you're not?"

Callie shook her head. "No, and at first, I was sad about it. But now, I'm fine with it, because it will happen when it's supposed to."

"Right…"

"What are you going to do? If you are, I mean?"

"I'm going to have him or her." Addison couldn't refer to her possible baby with Alex as "it," as an object. "But, I really don't think Alex is ready. I mean, he loves babies, but…"

"Is anyone ever really _ready_ for children?" Callie mused. "I kind of always thought of having children as one of those things that no one is actually ready for, until it's thrown at them… Then, they just kind of figure it out."

"Maybe."

"It's not like you're teenagers. It's not like you don't have plenty of money to support a baby. It's not like you aren't mature people… Well, _you_ are anyway." Callie laughed.

"I know, but this isn't exactly the order I would have planned things in."

"You don't always get what you plan, babe." Callie patted her hand. "It's been longer than 3 minutes. Do you want me to look at it?"

"You don't even have to look. I know my body. I will bet you $100,000 dollars that it is positive."

"I don't have that kind of dinero to bet… But if it's positive, you might be the most accidentally fertile person ever."

"Ha, ha." Addison shoved her friend's arm.

"I _am_ going to look though, just to see how sharp your psychic powers are."

Addison gestured toward the test. "Be my guest."

Callie examined the stick for a moment, and looked back at Addison. "So, Mommy… Want to share the lottery numbers for this Saturday?

* * *

Later that day, Addison paced her office nervously, where she had just paged Alex to meet her. As she'd predicted, part of her was very excited. She'd wanted to be a mother for years. She'd loved the two days that she'd had Laura and always dreamt of more. She had to face it; her time was running short. A baby, especially with the man she loved, would be wonderful. The other part of her was very nervous. After losing one child, she was naturally afraid that the same thing could happen again. Plus, she had no clue how Alex would react to the news.

Alex stuck his head in her office. She felt her heart jump. "You paged me?"

"Yes, I need you to do an ultrasound."

"An ultrasound?" Alex was disappointed. "But we have people who do that. People who went to school for 2 years instead of 8." He pointed out.

Despite how far he'd come, Alex could still be a bit obnoxious and cocky. Addison rolled her eyes. "I thought… That you might _want_ to do _this_ ultrasound."

"Why would I _ever_ want to do an ultrasound?"

"Because it's on me." Addison said quietly.

Alex stared at her for a long moment. She tried to read his facial expression, but couldn't gather anything definite from it. "Oh my God…"

"Yes, I know."

Alex walked over to her and took her hands. "You think you might…"

Addison nodded. "Yes."

His face fell, and his eyebrows knit together in concern. "You think you might have cancer?" His voice was soft, scared.

"What?" Addison was surprised. She never thought he would take it that way. "No, no…"

"What else would you need an ultraso—" Alex stopped talking suddenly. "Oh, God." He didn't sound happy.

"Alex…"

The demanding beeping of his pager shut both of them up.

"It's Bailey… I have to… Yeah. We'll… This… Um… Later." Alex couldn't find the words, he was so shocked. "Okay, bye." Alex darted out of her office.

Addison stood there in shock for a moment, and then sunk down into her couch. She lowered her face into her hands and began to cry.

* * *

_Will Alex come around, or will his reaction to Addison's pregnancy destroy everything he has built with her?_


	19. Chapter 19

_Okay, so I'm not enough of a bitch to keep you guys hanging like that. Someone asked what happened to Soleil, so you will find her in this piece. :) I'll shut up now and let you read. Oh, and Burke is finally chief._

* * *

She was in a similar position on her couch three hours later, when Derek walked in.

"Hey Addison, I need a consu—What's wrong?!" Derek was alarmed by her hysterical crying.

"Did something happen to Caroline?" Addison shook her head. "Your parents?" Another headshake. Derek raked his hand through his hair, trying to think of what else would make her so upset. He knew Karev was okay, because he'd seen him around the hospital. "Then… What?"

She looked at him, her face streaked with mascara. "I'm pregnant, Derek."

He tried not to let his shock take over his facial features. He placed one hand on her shoulder. "Does anyone know?"

"Y-you, Alex, and C-Callie."

"Are you crying because… You don't want the baby?"

"N-no. I d-do want the b-baby… I'm c-crying because A-Alex doesn't!"

"Did he say that?"

"W-well… No… B-but he ran out of the r-room to a-answer a page w-when I t-told him."

"He probably just had to answer the page." Derek said logically.

"He s-still could have s-said something!" Addison shrieked.

"Okay, okay, shhh… Breathe, honey." Derek wrapped his arms around her. There was no point in trying to argue or reason with her when she was in that state. The only thing he could do was comfort her. "How far along are you?"

"I-I think about 8 w-weeks. I o-only found o-out today."

"Do you have any surgeries scheduled today?" Derek asked. Addison shook her head. "You should go home and get some rest, Ads… You need some time to process all of this."

"W-what about your c-consult?"

"It can wait. You need to take care of yourself and that baby. I'll talk to Burke for you."

Her teary eyes widened. "Please d-don't tell him! N-not yet… Please!"

"Shhh…" Derek lightly stroked her back. "Don't worry. I won't tell him anything except that you aren't feeling well. Let me take you home… You're not in any shape to drive." Addison nodded reluctantly.

* * *

Derek walked her inside to make sure she was going to be okay alone, then left. Addison changed into a pair of Alex's old sweatpants and one of his college t-shirts. She crawled into bed, pulled the sheets up around her, and inhaled their scent. They smelled faintly of Alex's fresh soap and a little like sex, which indicated to her that she should probably change them, but she didn't care. She felt part of the bed sink in as Soleil jumped up next to her. The cat, who had grown up from being a kitten as months passed, but was still fairly small, kneaded her paws against the bed to create a good sleeping spot next to her owner. Addison smiled faintly, then began to cry again. She stroked Soleil's fur and cried until she fell asleep.

* * *

Instead of driving back to the hospital, Derek decided to try to find Alex to have a little talk with him. It was the last thing he ever expected himself to be doing; having a heart-to-heart with his ex-wife's boyfriend. But, he still cared deeply for Addison, and he wanted to do anything he could to help her situation. He parked his car at Joe's, and was relieved to see that his intuition had been right; that Alex's car was outside.

Derek walked into the building and located Alex at the bar. He walked to the bar and stood beside Alex's bar stool. "Hey."

"I guess she told you." Alex didn't look at Derek. He just stared into the bottom of his beer bottle.

"Yes, she did."

"Did she also tell you what a fuck up I am?"

"Well, not in those words… But yes, she did."

"And I guess you're here to kick my ass."

"No, I thought you might need someone to talk to."

Alex snorted and finally looked at Derek. "You?"

"Well, since she doesn't want anyone else to know right now, your choices are me or Callie… And Callie is probably far more likely to kick your ass than I am." Derek sat down beside Alex and ordered a beer.

"This is true." Alex admitted. "Look, I know I'm an asshole. I don't need you to tell me that."

"You are an asshole, but I'm not here to tell you that… Though, I guess I just did. I'm wondering why you ran away."

"Okay, let me sum it up for you. My old man? Horrible father. Beat the shit out of my mom. How am I supposed to be a father if I've never had a real father?"

Derek sighed. "I didn't have a father either… Mine died when I was a kid. I didn't know how to be a father either…" He paused, wondering if he should continue, and looked at Alex. "She told you about Laura, right?"

Alex frowned. "Yes… I'm sorry."

Derek nodded. "When Addison told me she was pregnant, I was terrified… I was almost a decade older than you, so I can imagine how you're feeling. When we found out how sick Laura was going to be, and that she wasn't going to be with us very long, I tried to detach myself from the whole 'daddy' thing."

Derek sighed, and tried to will the emotion out of his voice. "Then she was born, and I looked at her. She was so beautiful, Alex. And the only thing I wanted in the entire world was to be her father… So I was, for two days. The best two days of my life."

He chugged back some of his beer to keep the tears out of his eyes. "You couldn't ask for a better mother for your child, Alex. Addie is a great mom."

Alex took a swig of his own beer and leaned back with a sigh. "I'm sure she is. Which is why I'd just be in the way."

"She needs you, Alex. She's scared. I know she's scared that she'll lose your baby like we did Laura… I can tell. And there's nothing that I or Caroline or Callie or Miranda or anyone but _you_ can say to make her feel better."

"How am I going to be a father?" Alex rubbed his hand over his face.

"You'll figure it out along the way. You'll probably screw up a lot, but you'll figure it out. You're screwing up a lot more if you abandon them than if you fumble your way through it. Just talk to her. You guys will figure things out. You don't want to miss this chance. This should be the happiest time of your life."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right." Derek flashed his patented grin and took another drink of his beer.

"I should go talk to her… Thanks, dude." Alex grabbed his jacket.

"No problem… Oh, and just a warning, Alex… She may be a great mom, she's a _horrible_ pregnant woman. Especially when it comes to doctor appointments, since she knows more than any of them... And she's not afraid to tell them that, either... So, good luck with that for the next 7 months." Derek grinned and saluted Alex.

* * *

Alex had a key to Addison's condo. He let himself in about an hour after he talked to Derek, and pushed open the door to Addison's room. He found her there, sleeping. Two greenish glints reflected in the light as Soleil snapped open her eyes. She emitted a low growl at Alex, as though she instinctively knew that she should be angry with him. Alex held out his hands to her in a non-threatening way and allowed her to sniff him.

"It's just me, Solly." Alex whispered. French did not roll easily off Alex's tongue, even a simple word like "Soleil," so he had taken to calling the cat by that nickname.

The small feline did not remove her eyes from Alex as he approached her sleeping owner. He gently sat down next to Addison, setting a gift bag he was carrying down on the floor. Soleil jumped up and stood at attention, ready to pounce on him if he acted in a way that she did not approve of.

Addison was sleeping on her back. His chest ached when he noticed how puffy and red her eyes were, how tear streaked her cheeks were. He had done that to her. He had vowed that he would never hurt her, but he had.

"I'm sorry." Alex whispered.

He bit his lip, pushed up his old shirt she was wearing, and gently laid a hand on her stomach. It was still smooth and flat.

"How can there be a child in there?" Alex said softly.

He caressed her bare skin tenderly. "Hey there, little nugget. I'm sorry I left you…" Alex whispered to her stomach.

He heard Addison's soft laugh. "Did you just… Call our child a nugget?" Her voice was tired, hoarse, but slightly amused.

Alex withdrew his hand, and looked at her, surprised. "You're awake?"

"I've been awake since you opened the door." Addison yawned. "Light flooding a room will do that to a sleeping person."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay…" Addison glanced at her digital clock and turned on her bedside lamp. "I needed to get up anyway."

Alex shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

Addison sighed and looked away. "It's a shock. I know it's a shock… It was for me, too."

He took one of her hands and pressed it tightly between both of his. "Listen… I'm sorry I was such an asshole. I was afraid of ending up like my old man."

Addison shook her head firmly. "But you won't. You're nothing like him."

Alex sighed. "I know that now. Someone talked some sense into me."

Addison arched a brow. "Someone? Only two people besides you even know." She thought for a moment, and her jaw dropped in surprise. "You don't mean…"

"Yeah, Derek."

"What did you talk about?" Addison asked suspiciously.

"That's not important. What is important is that I realized that I _can_ do this, and I _want_ to do this. I know it won't be easy, but I'll try my best. I love you, Addie. I want to take care of you and our child and be with both of you forever… If you'll still have me." Alex stared down at the comforter.

Addison placed her hand under his chin and tipped his head to look at her. "I will. Of course I will. But no more running off! Got it?"

"Got it." Alex smiled a bit. "I really thought you'd be more furious than this…"

"I was upset, not angry…" Addison said, as Alex wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I just wanted you to want our baby too."

"I do... I really do. I love you."

"I love you too."

"This… Is for Nugget. And you." Alex picked the gift bag and handed it to her. "It doesn't make up for what I did, and I don't expect it to… But I wanted you guys to have it."

Addison's eyes lit up like a child's at the sight of the present, and she lifted the item out of the gift bag eagerly. It was a teddy bear, with curly brown fur, huge blue eyes, and a yellow ribbon around its neck. Its stitched-on lips formed a frown and it looked a bit sad, as though it needed love. Addison laughed softly and gave it a hug. When she pulled it back and traced her fingers over the curly fur, she gasped as her eye caught a glint of something.

Hanging from the ribbon around the bear's neck was a diamond ring.


	20. Chapter 20

_Gosh, people, I never said it was an engagement ring! I have half a mind to make it a toe or navel ring just to annoy you guys. ;P_

_I'll warn you guys… I'm not going to make it easy on them!_

_Since there's half of a foot of snow on the ground, and all of my evening activities are canceled, I may manage to crank out the next chapter today, too._

* * *

Addison picked up the ring from the bear's neck and held it between her thumb and forefinger. It was beautiful, set in yellow gold, featuring a large round center stone with one slightly smaller stone on each side. There were three little diamonds on each side of the main three, a total of nine diamonds.

"Alex… You don't have to do this. Really."

Alex took the bear back and untied the ribbon around its neck to get the ring off. "I want to do it."

"You don't have to marry me just because I'm pregnant."

"I'm not marrying you because you're pregnant! Will you just let me propose already?" Alex put a finger over her lips and smiled. "This is supposed to be my big moment and all."

Alex slid off the bed and down onto the floor, on both knees. He held the ring up in front of him. "Addison… I know things have moved kind of fast between us, but I have a good feeling about this, about us… I think we can do anything as long as we have each other. This is the real thing. I love you. I love you more than anything in this world, and I've never wanted anything more than I want to marry you. I want us to share everything… A house, our child, my name…"

Alex paused. "Although, knowing you, you'd probably stick a hyphen in it somewhere." They both laughed softly. "But, that's okay, as long as it's in there. Addie… Will you marry me?"

Addison knew that she would never be able to remember exactly what he said to her that day, but she also knew that she would never forget the look on his face, the tears in his eyes, or the overwhelming happiness that she felt at that moment.

"Yes, Alex… Yes, yes, yes!" Tears were streaming down her face. Alex jumped up from the floor and tackled her onto the bed in a huge hug, carefully avoiding her stomach.

"Can I… Can I see the ring?" Addison asked after they broke apart, laughing through her tears.

"Of course." Alex chuckled as he slid the ring onto her left ring finger.

Addison brought her hand up in front of her and admired it. She tilted her hand back and forth, watching it sparkle in the light. "It's beautiful…"

"I'm glad you like it… I called Caroline and asked her what kind of ring your old one was, so that I could try to get the exact opposite."

"You didn't tell her about the baby, did you?" Addison was suddenly worried.

Alex smiled. "I got the ring about a week ago, Addison… Before I knew you were pregnant."

"You stinker!"

"I told you I wasn't asking you to marry me because of the baby! You should have believed me! Now… We should celebrate." Alex said.

"Where do you want to go?"

"How about the hospital?"

"The hospital?" Addison tilted her head. "You want to celebrate our engagement at work?"

"No… I want to see our Nugget!" Alex said. He sounded so much like an excited little boy that she had to laugh.

"Okay, hospital it is."

* * *

At the hospital, they were able to secure an empty room on her floor with an ultrasound machine. They carefully closed the blinds, still trying to keep the baby secret until they were ready to tell people.

Alex turned the ultrasound machine on and squeezed the gel onto her stomach.

"Ahhh! That's cold!" Addison squealed as the gel hit her skin. "I feel kind of bad for doing that people now…"

Alex gently ran the probe over her abdomen. He squinted at the picture on the machine. He turned his head to one side, then to the other. "Okay, I guess I'm a bad father _and_ a bad doctor, because I can't find Nugget." He pouted a little bit.

Addison laughed and sat up on her elbows. "Move, goofy… I'll find Nugget. I've looked at a few of these things during my lifetime, you know." Addison gave him a playful wink.

Her impeccably trained blue eyes flicked over the scan. "Oh my God…" Her hand went up to her face and covered her mouth.

"What?" Alex was alarmed. "What's wrong? What is it?!"

_Hmm… What is it, indeed…_


	21. Chapter 21

_Sorry, I couldn't resist leaving you guys hanging! But yikes! One of you people was trying to curse me with more snow! We had just finally dug ourselves out of about six weeks of snow before today happened, so I decided I'd better write… Just in case. ;)_

* * *

Addison put her hand up to the screen, pointing to one spot with her index finger and the other with her middle finger. "There… And there… Two embryos."

Alex's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "Two Nuggets?!"

"Yes… Twin Nuggets."

"You're… You're sure?"

Addison laughed and nodded. "Pretty sure, Alex…"

There was a dazed look in his eyes before he hit the floor with a thud.

"Alex?" Addison blinked a few times and looked over the edge of the bed. "Alex! Wake up!"

Fortunately, at that moment, Callie walked into the room. "Hey, one of your nurses said that you were in here, and I was going to ask you if you told…" Callie looked at the sonogram, which was still on the machine, then at floor, where she noticed Alex had passed out. "I guess you did tell him!"

Addison gestured frantically to her gel-covered stomach. "I can't move because of the goo! Can you get him some smelling salts?"

"Oh! Yeah, sure! Did he hit his head?" Callie tossed Addison a towel, and then went over to a supply cabinet in search of the smelling salts.

"No, I don't think so."

"So, you told him and he hit the floor?"

"No… I'd already told him I was pregnant." Addison was mopping the gel off of her stomach. "I showed him on the sonogram that we are having twins, _then_ he hit the floor."

"You're not more alarmed by this?" Callie gestured to Alex's body and crouched beside him, holding the smelling salts.

"Please, do you know how many expectant fathers I've seen hit the floor?" Addison laughed.

Callie waved the smelling salts under Alex's nose. The choking scent of ammonia did the trick, and Alex coughed and blinked awake.

"Huh? Wha?"

Callie rearranged him so that his feet were flat on the floor, with his knees bent up. She looked at his face. "He's okay." She left him on the floor and leaned over to look at the sonogram. "I want to see!"

Addison pointed again with her left hand, and Callie suddenly grabbed it. "Wait a minute! What is with this bling? Did you guys?..."

Addison broke into a smile, happy to be able to say it. "We're engaged!"

"Oh my God, babe, that's so great!" Callie yanked Addison into a hug.

"Still… On the floor…" Alex mumbled. "Tile… Pretty cold…"

"Aw crap, I forgot about him." Callie squatted beside Alex on the floor and helped him slowly sit up. "Just sit down here for a minute. Don't try to get up too quickly. Did you hurt anything? Your head?"

Alex shook his head slowly. "No… No, I'm fine."

Callie put an arm around his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. "So, twins!"

Alex nodded slowly, still in a daze. "Yeah, that's when there are two babies."

"Thanks for explaining it, doc." Callie smirked.

"It's no big deal really…" Alex explained. "Just an extra set of diaper changes… An extra set of feedings… An extra life… Is it hot in here?" Addison tossed Callie her pillow, and Callie laid him back on the floor, cushioning his head with the pillow. "You stay down there for right now! Rest. I'm going to talk to your fiancé."

"Do you think he's okay?" Addison was starting to get a little worried.

Callie plopped down into the chair beside the bed. "He's fine. Dish."

"Well, he kind of freaked out at first and I got really upset… Then Derek talked to him, and I don't know what he said, but Alex came back with a teddy bear and a ring and he proposed! He bought the ring last week." Addison said.

"Dude… I'm still _in_ the room." Alex muttered from the floor.

"Sorry." Addison called down to him.

"Last week, seriously? So, he was planning on doing it anyway?" Callie asked.

"If you must know… I was trying to think of a unique way to do it." Alex mumbled.

"When are you guys getting married?" Callie asked.

"We haven't really discussed it yet… I want to do it before the babies are born, and before I get fat… That leaves me with about a month." Addison laughed.

"So, twins!" Callie let out a little squeal. "That's crazy!"

"What can I say… I got the job done right." Alex had a cocky grin on his face. He was starting to become himself again.

"_You_?" Addison crossed her arms and looked down at him. "It was either _my_ ovary that released an extra egg, or _my_ egg that divided twice!"

"But my boys can swim." Alex stated proudly, and rested his hands behind his head.

Addison rolled her eyes and looked back at Callie. "He's going to be fine, clearly."

* * *

_So, let's see… They have people to tell and a wedding to plan in a month or less… And they both kind of need to process the whole thing beyond Alex being proud of his sperm… Hmm… I'll see what I can do tonight. :)_


	22. Chapter 22

_Okay, so we all know that time is beyond screwed up on Grey's Anatomy… But for my convenience, I'm going to say that the interns have recently started the second year of their residencies, and that they still report to Bailey (I'm not a doctor, so maybe that wouldn't really happen, but I'm using creative license here). We'll say that it's July._

_Oh, also, as far as my story is concerned, Cristina and Preston are married. But, they really don't interest me enough to write anything about it. :)_

_Some of you wanted Mark to fight harder for Addison… Well, that kind of didn't fit into my plans, but you haven't heard the last from him… I doubt he's going to be happy when he realizes that Addison is pregnant with Alex's child… Hmmmmmm._

_If you are a Maddison fan, though, I do have one chapter of fic up that I could probably be persuaded to turn into a full story… End of shameless self-promotion. Enjoy the story! It's a long one, and a LOT happens._

_

* * *

_

"What are we going to call them now that we know there are two of them?" Addison asked.

Her head was resting on Alex's chest as they lounged in bed that night. She was gazing at the printout of the sonogram. Alex had one arm protectively around her, and his free hand was caressing her stomach. He couldn't keep his hands off of it, amazed by the lives growing inside.

"Nugget 1 and Nugget 2?"

"They're different people. They should be given different names. Giving them the same name and numbering them might give them some sort of identity crisis."

"And being called 'Nugget' won't?" Alex chuckled. "How about Chicken?"

"Chicken and Nugget? My womb is not a McDonald's!" Addison thwacked him with a pillow.

"Okay, okay, sorry…" They were silent for a few minutes, looking at the sonogram.

"8 weeks… Just like I thought. Aren't they beautiful?" Addison let out a happy sigh at the picture.

Alex squinted at the sonogram. "I'm sorry, you'll probably hit me with the pillow again for this… But they look like beans to me."

Addison reeled back with the pillow, then looked at the sonogram again and started laughing. "They do… That's it! Bean!"

"Bean and Nugget." A smile formed on his lips. "I like it. So who's Bean and who's Nugget?"

Addison pointed to the baby on the left. "Bean." She moved her finger to the one on the right. "Nugget."

"Any sort of reason for assigning them that way?"

"Alphabetical order?"

Alex shook his head and gave her a squeeze. "Tomorrow we tell everyone…"

"Tomorrow…"

* * *

"Congratulations!" Preston's face broke into a grin when they presented their news the next day. He swept Addison into a hug. He'd always liked her, partially because she had saved his wife's life during her battle with ectopic pregnancy. He shook Alex's hand and gave him a pat on the back.

"We'll discuss leave and everything at a later time." Preston said. "Don't worry about a thing. We'll work everything out. Just talk care of those babies."

Addison gave him a weary smile. "Thank you, Preston."

Alex put his arm around Addison's shoulders and guided her out of Preston's office. "Are you doing okay? The babies aren't making you tired, are they?"

"A little."

"Babies?" Addison heard Mark's voice behind them. She swore under her breath and whirled around.

"Fine. You'll find out anyway. I'm pregnant with twins, and Alex and I are getting married next month."

Mark took Addison by the wrist angrily. "You're having this punk's baby, but you wouldn't have mine?"

Alex grabbed the collar of Mark's scrub top and twisted it, prepared to shove him up against the wall.

"Alex, stop! Please…" Addison pleaded. "He's still your boss. He's not worth it."

Alex looked back at her and slowly released him. "If she wasn't standing here…"

"I'm scared, I'm sure." Mark snorted. "Well, good luck with it, kid…" He tossed a glare at Addison. "Maybe if you're lucky she won't abort yours." He stormed off down the hall.

Addison closed her eyes slowly and took a deep breath. Alex already knew about Mark's baby. She had told him about it early in their relationship. But, she didn't want him to be reminded of the horrible thing she had done. She didn't want to be reminded of it herself.

Alex snaked his arm around her waist. "Come on… Like you said, he's not worth it. He's an ass." He gave her a gentle squeeze. "We have more people to tell… People who aren't asses. Let's go."

* * *

"They're engaged. They're definitely engaged." Meredith guessed in a hushed whisper.

Alex's friends were confused when he brought Addison into the locker room with him, and announced that they had some news to share, but that it would have to wait until Miranda arrived. Despite their best efforts to pry it out of him early, Alex had just smiled and walked with Addison to his locker.

"Hmm… Nah. I think he knocked her up." Izzie said.

"Care to make it interesting?" Cristina fished a 20-dollar bill out of her scrub top.

"All right, you're on." Izzie said. Meredith nodded her agreement,

"My bet's that he knocked her up _and_ they're engaged." Cristina decided.

The three turned expectantly to George, who was staring straight ahead. "I'm not allowed to bet because I already know what it is." George was nothing if not honest.

Cristina grabbed his arm. "You big dummy! You could have made 60 bucks off of us!"

George sighed. "I know. I hate that I'm a nice guy."

"Are any of us right?" Cristina asked.

"I shouldn't really give you guys that kind of inf—" Cristina glared at George, who immediately began nodding. "One of you is right."

"It's me! I know it's me! I'm _always_ right." Cristina bragged.

"All right, people, let's move it." Miranda said when she entered the room.

"Wait." Alex peered around the side of his locker. "Addison and I have some news first."

"News?" Miranda furrowed her brow.

Alex led Addison to where Miranda and the rest of the 2nd years were standing. Alex and Addison looked at each other, then back at everyone.

"I'm pregnant with twins." Addison said, at the same time that Alex said, "We're engaged!"

"HA!" Cristina jumped up from the bench victoriously. "I win! I was right!" The other three groaned as they handed over their money.

Miranda looked at Cristina in disbelief. "Sit your ass down, Yang!" She turned to Addison. "You're serious? You're having twins? And you're getting married?"

Addison nodded. "Next month. Well, the wedding, obviously, not the birth." She laughed nervously. "I need your help with planning!"

"Of course, honey, come here." Miranda pulled her into a hug. "Congratulations!"

Addison smiled nervously. She was slightly concerned about Izzie's reaction, since she was fond of Izzie, but also afraid that Izzie might harbor ill feelings toward her because she used to date Alex. Alex had frequently assured her that Izzie's feelings toward him were only friendly; that Denny was her true love, and she never felt that way about Alex.

And he was right. Izzie was the next in line to hug Addison.

"Congratulations, mommy!" Izzie gave her a tight, sincere hug, then moved to hug Alex.

Addison watched them, smiling. She hoped that Izzie would find someone to care for again one day. She was surprised when Meredith gave her a squeeze, followed by George.

"I don't do hugs." Cristina said. "But, uh… Congratulations on being pregnant and engaged! I got $60 out of it." Cristina stuck out her hand. Addison rolled her eyes with a laugh, then gave Cristina's hand a light shake.

"All right, people, enough with the love fest. You've got rounds to do." Miranda ordered.

"You'll come over tonight? Around 7?" Addison asked Miranda.

Miranda nodded. "I'll be there!"

* * *

Addison was getting organized for the impromptu planning party, putting notepads, pens, and phone books out on her dining room table, when she noticed that Alex had a distraught look on his face.

"What's wrong, honey?" Addison was concerned.

"I have to say… I kind of feel bad that you're planning on spending so much on this wedding and I'm basically broke."

"Alex, you're a 2nd year resident… I know what your salary is like. It's fine."

"It's just that you used to be married to Derek… And I know that he was the breadwinner and he could buy you all of the nice things you like."

Addison looked slightly amused. "You think he bought that stuff? You think that Derek makes more money than I do?"

"Doesn't he?"

"Um, hardly… I have more specialties than he does, and Richard ensured that I was highly paid for them."

"How… Highly paid?"

"It's…" Addison scribbled the number on a piece of paper and slid it Alex.

Alex's eyes widened at the number and he jumped out of his chair. "Holy shit, Addie! And that's in a year? In U.S. dollars? And are those two commas?!"

"Yes."

"So basically… You're always going to be supporting me. I'll never be able to support you." Alex stared at the floor.

"Alex…"

"This is emasculating…"

"You knew what you were getting into! You knew I would make more money than you, at least for now. But, I'm going to teach you everything I know, and someday, you'll be better than I am and you'll make more than that."

"In thirty years, maybe!"

Addison grabbed the piece of paper back, crumpled it in one hand, and tossed it into the wastebasket. "Alex." She put her hands on his face and forced him to look at her. "It's a number. It's money. Money puts a roof over people's heads, a car in the driveway, food in their mouths, and clothes on their backs."

"But… Your money? It puts the roof of a pricey condo in the park over your head, a Ferrari in your driveway, lobster in your mouth, and Versace on your back. My money? It puts the roof of a dinky one bedroom apartment over my head, an 8 year old Cavalier in my driveway, macaroni and cheese in my mouth, and t-shirts on my back."

Addison chewed her lip nervously. "I really had no idea that this bothered you so much."

"I want what any man wants. I want to be able to support my family."

"Alex…" Addison grabbed his hands. "The kind of support that you give me, and that you will give our children, is something that can't be bought. Why does it matter who's paying for stuff, as long as we're happy and support each other that way?"

"I guess it doesn't."

"Don't worry about money. I never do."

"That's because you _have_ it!"

Addison gave his hands a squeeze. "And you do too, now! Starting right now, we're sharing everything. Okay?"

"Okay…"

There was a knock at the door. "That must be the girls!" Addison grinned. "Ready to plan?"

Alex pictured talking about food and flowers with three women all evening, and grimaced. "As ready as I'll ever be…"

* * *

Alex was about gouge his eyes out, listening to his fiancé and her friends debate the different styles of photography.

"Portraiture is always classic, of course." Addison said.

"Soft focus is a cool technique too, though... It makes everything look kind of dreamlike. We had some of that at our wedding." Miranda said.

"The photojournalism style of photography is very popular right now." Callie chimed in.

"Ooh, that's right, I almost forgot about photojournalism!" Addison clapped her hands.

"How... How can there really be that many ways to push a button and take a picture?" Alex wondered aloud.

He got another Look from the women. He'd been getting a lot of Looks that evening. The Look was a combination of disgust and sheer pity for his ignorance.

"Yeah, I'm just going to go get a beer." Alex pushed back from the table and headed to the kitchen.

"Men really don't know anything, do they?" Miranda shook her head.

"Nope." Callie agreed.

"Okay, he obviously doesn't care, so photojournalism is it is." Addison wrote down a few notes.

"You're really going to pull all of this off in a month?" Miranda looked dubious.

"It's going to be small. It'll be just close family and friends. I've had the 400 guest experience, and it was ridiculous." Addison shuddered at the memory.

"So, what, 50 people?" Callie asked.

"Probably not even that many. I've planned cocktail parties bigger than this… Derek and I used to have them fairly often. We were pretty good at looking like the perfect couple, even though we rarely spoke to each other." Addison shook her head.

"So, location." Miranda had moved to the next item on the list.

"Call me crazy, but I'm not all about having a ceremony in a church when I'm a former adulteress who is now divorced and pregnant."

"Understandable. You are a ho." Callie nodded. Addison punched her friend's arm lightly. "Hey, ow! Watch it, crazy pregnant lady!"

"But the court house isn't exactly glamorous either. A hotel, maybe?" Miranda suggested.

"All the better for the former adulteress!" Callie joked, then quickly protected her arm from Addison.

"Why can't we do it outside?" Alex was watching the madness from the doorway, a bottle of Heineken in his hand.

"That's the best damn idea you've had all night." Miranda said.

"Isn't that kind of risky in Seattle?" Addison asked. "With the rain and everything? I don't know… I haven't lived here a whole summer yet. Miranda?"

"August is pretty mild… Probably about 75-80, not much rain, really. No more than anywhere else."

Callie nodded. "It could be really beautiful. You could have it in a park. Hell, you could have it in the park right outside your front door!"

"Okay." Addison smiled. "What the hell, I'm a risk taker. Let's do it!"

Alex cheered. "Yay, one of my ideas finally made it in the running! Okay, so we're done now, right?"

Miranda held up the list for his inspection. "Not even close."

"Let's talk about food then. I like food." Alex said.

"I think chicken is almost always a winner, and you can offer a vegetarian alternative, too." Miranda said.

"I don't know, shrimp is more elegant than chicken." Callie thought about it.

"Yeah, but not everyone likes seafood." Addison pointed out.

Alex was getting frustrated again already. His one victory hadn't sustained him for long. "Can't we just like…" He rubbed his face. "Hand them restaurant gift cards on the way out of the ceremony? Then, everyone gets the free meal, they can pick out what they like to eat, and we don't have to put up with them anymore." Alex's voice was serious. He really didn't see a problem with his idea.

Addison, Miranda, and Callie all turned and stared at him. Again.

"You fool! That's the dumbest damn idea I've ever heard." Miranda minced no words.

"Why does it matter so much? They should just shut up and eat and be happy with what they get! They're getting free food, and we're paying gobs of money for it!" Alex exclaimed

Addison smiled when he said "we're" and patted his leg. "It's how weddings work. You invite people you don't like and spend money you don't want to spend."

"Oh, because that makes sense!" Alex rolled his eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. He leaned over, gave Addison a kiss, and patted her stomach gently before grabbing his car keys off of the table.

"Where are you going?" Addison looked confused.

"Joe's. Honey, I love you… I love you very much. But I _hate_ stuff like this! I have to go find some other men before I die, okay? This chick fest is just too much for me. Just… Do whatever you want. I'm sure it will be great."

Addison laughed, not offended by Alex's lack of interest. She couldn't blame him for not wanting to be involved in every detail. She'd learned from her first wedding that men just want to be told when and where to show up. "Okay. I love you too." Alex gave her wink and left.

"So… We need to figure out food, then we'll move on to table linens." Miranda said.

"Table linens? We actually have to discuss table linens? Oh, God." Callie groaned. "I may be joining Alex at the bar…"

_Sorry that was kind of an abrupt ending, but better than one of my cliffhangers, right? ;)_

_Okay, just so you guys know, this isn't the last of the reactions from the interns. In a few chapters, they are going to give Addex a baby shower! As they're planning that, you'll see the more "honest" reactions than the public reactions._

_Oh, and the gift card thing? That has actually been suggested by my dad during my wedding planning. Thanks, daddy, for the writing material. You guys would be amazed at the things that I've lifted from my own life and stuck in here… lol. :) I couldn't make some of this stuff up…_


	23. Chapter 23

Alex cringed and wrinkled his nose as his fiancé happily slurped another black ball of tapioca up the neon pink straw that was positioned in her bubble tea. He quickly switched his eyes over to the pen in her right hand that scribbling names on their guest list. The fact that she enjoyed iced tea with little gummy black pearls settled on the bottom of it was enough to creep out Alex. But the flavor she had selected?

"What flavor do you want?" Alex had asked, as he put on his shoes. Addison had just finished explaining the concept of bubble tea to him. Apparently, the Asian sensation was popular in New York and she had always liked it. He didn't see the appeal himself; but, he was trying to make her happy, so he was heading out to get it for her.

"Pineapple and green bean."

Alex's head snapped up from tying his shoes. "Excuse me?!"

"Bean wants pineapple and Nugget wants green bean." Addison had explained it as though it should be completely obvious.

Alex had protested that it was a bit early for food cravings. That had earned him a glare from Addison, with her arms folded over her chest. After all, _she_ was the famous OB/GYN.

So, he had quickly hoofed it to the closest bubble tea café (there were several in Seattle) and ordered it. Even the young Asian woman behind the counter had given him a disgusted look.

"It's for a pregnant woman." Alex had quickly added.

The woman had smiled and nodded knowingly, realizing that he was a good guy, playing the role of the caring future dad. She had patiently blended the flavored powders into the green tea and spooned the tapioca balls into the cup. He had been surprised when he had received it. The top of the cup was shrink-wrapped and he was handed a huge straw with a sharp edge to go with it.

"Now you shake it!" The woman had said, a little too excitedly.

Alex had stared at her blankly, so she had taken the cup back and had shaken it all around. The shrink-wrap seal had prevented the liquid from spilling out. That part was cool, he had to admit.

"Do you want to try it? It's delicious!" Addison offered her cup to him, and set her pen down.

"Um, no, that's okay, honey." Alex held up his hands in rejection of the cup. Really, just thinking about it was enough to make him ill.

Addison pouted. "Suit yourself. Take a look at the list. Your mother, brother, and sister… Your friends from the hospital." Addison picked up her pen and ticked off each person. "Some friends from back home… Your immediate aunts and uncles… Was there anyone else?"

"Nope." Alex said, casually. He opened a bag of potato chips and began to munch on them.

"Not even your… Father?"

Alex paused in mid crunch. "Nope." He said firmly, but still with a casual air.

Addison sighed and put the cap on her pen. "I know how you feel about him… I know you're not on good terms. But this is your wedding. Our wedding. It's a one-shot deal. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"He's never had any sort of positive influence over my life. He's nothing more to me than a sperm donor. Hell, a sperm donor would have been better… At least a sperm donor wouldn't have beaten the shit out of my mother."

Addison chewed her bottom lip. "Okay…"

"He's not part of my life. Why should he get to share the happiest day of it?" Alex challenged, and shoved another handful of chips into his mouth.

"Okay, okay…" Addison took his free hand and gave it a squeeze. "You're sure you won't regret it later?"

"Yep."

* * *

Amazingly, as she had promised, Addison was able to pull everything together for the wedding, with a few days to spare. The weather was cooperative – a cloudless sunny day, with a mild and pleasant temperature, especially for August. Addison and Caroline had checked out the decorations at the hotel for the reception. Everything was placed and the room looked as Addison had envisioned it.

Addison's favorite color was black – she loved the formality and class of it – but she had decided it might be too depressing for a wedding, especially inappropriate for one outdoors. So, she had moved to her second favorite color, purple. Everything was decorated in complementing shades of purple.

The ceremony was to be held in a gazebo in the park, which had been decorated with swags of tiny purple and white flowers. White chairs with lavender ribbon sashes were arranged in neat rows, waiting for the guests.

The only thing that wasn't perfect and beautiful was the one thing that was supposed to be… The bride.

Who was leaning over a toilet.

Caroline dutifully held Addison's messy red hair in one hand and rubbed her back gently with the other. "You know, I don't recall seeing 'holding bride's hair back while she throws up' as one of my Matron of Honor duties in any of those wedding magazines…"

"Oh, shut up, Caro—" Addison broke off, and leaned over the toilet again.

"You should be nice to me," Caroline said, wiping Addison's head with a cool, wet washcloth. "I don't do vomit duty for just anyone. I'm not into vomit like all of your medical pals."

The other two bridesmaids cautiously leaned their heads into the bathroom.

"She okay?" Miranda asked, concerned.

"Yeah, she's fine. Aren't ya, Ads?" Caroline patted her sister's shoulder. Addison's response was another heave.

"If she wasn't pregnant, I'd probably be more worried about this reaction…" Callie said.

"All right, um, honey… Do you think you can stop puking your guts out so we can get you dressed?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah." Addison leaned back against the wall, exhausted. "Because, you know, I'm doing this for kicks. You've obviously never been pregnant…"

"Um, does someone who _has_ been pregnant want to deal with this?" Caroline gestured to Addison, and looked pointedly at Miranda.

Miranda took charge, waving Callie and Caroline away. "You two get out of here. I'll take care of it."

* * *

Miranda joined Callie and Addison in the living room about fifteen minutes later. "Okay, I've got her in the shower. You've got the ring, right, Caroline?" 

"The ring?" Caroline was confused. "What ring?"

"Alex's wedding band."

"I've never even _seen_ Alex's wedding band. Why would I have it?"

Miranda was starting to get worried. She put her hand on her hip. "Your sister said she gave it to you."

Caroline slowly shook her head. "No…"

"Then where the hell is it?"

The sounds of island music suddenly filled the room before Caroline could answer. Caroline snatched up her cell phone, looked at the caller ID, and sighed. "This can't be good news either…" Caroline muttered, walking into the guest room to take the call.

Miranda and Callie looked at each other. "What was that all about?" Callie asked. Miranda shrugged.

Caroline was only gone for a few minutes before she returned with a grim look on her face.

"What is it?" Miranda asked.

"Mom and dad are fogged in at O'Hare. They don't know how long it will be, and want her to go ahead with what she's planned."

"They just flew out today?"

"Yeah… Dad had to deliver a lecture at NYU last night."

Miranda swore.

"Who's going to walk her down the aisle?" Caroline wondered.

"We've got a bigger problem than that." Callie said from behind her.

Caroline whirled around to find Callie standing by the front door beside a concerned looking George, who was already clad in his tuxedo. "What do you mean?"

"I can't find the groom." George said, staring at the floor.

Quickly, without her knowing it, Addison's perfect vision was falling to pieces.

* * *

_Dum dum dum!!! _

_If you have absolutely no clue what bubble tea is, you can look it up on Wikipedia or Google, if you're curious. Someone just opened a café with it here. I just tried it, so that was the inspiration for that. I think I'm in love, incidentally (though NOT with green bean/pineapple flavored, of course... But green bean is a real flavor). At any rate, I needed something, and I thought a food craving might be a cute way to kick things off._

_So, review and be merry. I've already started on the next section. :)_


	24. Chapter 24

_Just a note since I haven't said it in a while... I'm doing this for fun, not profit. I don't own Grey's Anatomy. If I did, it would just be an hour of McSteamy/McDreamy/Alex towel scenes._

* * *

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Miranda put her hands on her hips and stared at George. "How did you lose him?"

"We never had him! His brother and I were supposed to meet at the hospital about 45 minutes ago, but he never showed."

"Where's his brother?" Caroline asked.

"At the park, hoping he shows up there."

"Did you call his cell phone?" Miranda asked.

George nodded. "Several times… No answer."

"Oh my God, what if something happened to him? What if he was in a car accident or something?" Callie put her hand to her mouth.

"If something happened to him, we would have heard about it by now." Miranda assured her.

"Only if he was taken to Seattle Grace…" George said softly.

Caroline paced the room for a few moments, then stopped suddenly. "Okay. This is what we're going to do. We're not going to panic, but the ceremony starts in about an hour. There's no way that Mom and Dad are going to make it, so I will have to tell her about them. Everything else? I vote we don't tell her. Not now. We'll figure it out ourselves."

"So, basically… You want us to lie to her?" Miranda asked.

Caroline bobbed her head up and down. "Yes, that is exactly what I am suggesting. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Hell no, I don't want to tell her any of this any more than you do! Just making sure we're on the same page." Miranda replied.

"But how are we going to distract her?" Callie asked.

"Well, as much money as she has spent on this thing otherwise, she doesn't trust anyone but herself with her hair and makeup. She'll be in the bathroom doing that, so that should distract her." Caroline said thoughtfully. "So, Callie… Since you're already dressed, you go with George and try to find Alex. Miranda, why don't you see if you can find the ring in her bedroom? I'll tell her about Mom and Dad. Sound good?"

Callie nodded and headed out the door with George, while Miranda took off for the master bedroom. Caroline drew in a deep breath and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Come in." Addison called out.

Caroline opened the door to find her sister with a curling iron in hand, twisting her fiery locks into curls. She smiled slightly at the sight, but her smile quickly faded when she remembered what she had to tell her.

"So, I guess you finished with the throwing up, huh?"

Addison laughed lightly. "Yeah, I'm fine now."

"That's good." Caroline leaned against the counter.

Addison eyed her sister. "What's wrong? I can tell by your face… Something's wrong."

_Oh, nothing, we just can't find your ring or your fiancé and your parents aren't going to be at your wedding,_ Caroline thought.

"Okay… It's that… Mom and Dad got held up by fog in Chicago… They're not going to make it, Ads."

Addison fidgeted and set her curling iron down. "I see…"

"They want you to go with everything as planned."

"Okay…" Addison sighed and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "I really wanted them to be here… Mom had forgiven Alex for the outburst and everything… I really wanted them to share this day, Carrie. He's the father of their grandchildren, you know?"

Caroline frowned and gave her sister a squeeze. "I know… I'm sorry, Addie."

"Oh… Who's going to walk me down the aisle?" Addison said softly, suddenly realizing she would have no one.

"Well, Dad gave you to Derek last… So, you're _technically_ still his… So technically,_ he_ should be the one to pass you on, right?" Caroline teased, trying to lighten the situation.

Addison didn't even glare at Caroline for the bad joke. Her eyes were downcast and she looked so miserable that Caroline's face fell.

"I can just walk down the aisle by myself. I'm a grown woman." Addison suddenly stood, picked the curling iron up, and returned to working on her hair. Caroline could see the tears shining in her eyes. "No big deal."

"Yes, it is…" Caroline said softly. She thought for a moment, and an idea suddenly came into her head. "You're not walking down the aisle by yourself." Caroline dashed out of the bathroom.

"Wait, Care!" Addison was alarmed by what her sister's plan might be. "Where are you going?" But the door to the condo had already clicked shut.

* * *

George and Callie sat on the doorstep of Alex's apartment, dejected after being unable to find him at the hospital, the park, or Joe's bar.

"I don't even know where else to look…" George said, rubbing his face with a sigh.

"Me neither…" Callie leaned her head against his shoulder.

A few minutes later, Alex's beat-up blue car pulled up in the driveway. When he stepped out of it, Callie and George jumped to their feet and rushed over to him.

"Where the hell have you been?" George demanded.

Callie didn't wait for answers. "If you're having second thoughts about marrying Addison, I swear to God, I will kick your ass. Right here. Right now. In this dress. In these high heels. I don't care! You're going to get it! Hell, I'm doing it anyway!"

In the heat of the moment, and her anger, Callie punched Alex in the stomach. Hard.

Alex doubled over in pain and grimaced. "Damn! Your wife is psycho, O'Malley!"

"I know." George said proudly. "But that doesn't explain where the hell you've been!"

Alex looked back at his old car, and for the first time, George and Callie realized that there was a passenger in it. A middle-aged man, who looked very much like an older version of Alex, climbed out of the car and joined the trio.

Alex tossed his apartment key to the man. "Go ahead and get changed, Jeff. I'll be in there in a minute." Jeff nodded and began walking up the stairs to Alex's apartment.

"Is that your…" George trailed off.

"Yeah… That's my old man." Alex said.

_(Me: I don't recall them ever giving him a name on the show, so I named him Jeff. Hopefully, I'm not forgetting something.)_

"I thought Addison said you weren't inviting him." Callie was confused.

"I wasn't. I didn't want to. I still don't really want to. I still think he's a jackass. I still hate what he did to my mother." Alex looked at the door of his apartment where his father had just entered. "But, he's the only father I'll ever have, sorry excuse for one or not."

"So you had a change of heart." Callie said.

"Something like that."

"I think it's great that you decided to be the bigger person. I'm sorry I punched you in the stomach." Callie mumbled, embarrassed.

Alex chuckled. "Eh, that's okay. I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys that I was picking him up from the airport."

George glanced at his watch. "So, you're getting married in 20 minutes, you know… And you're wearing jeans…"

Alex dashed into his apartment. "I'm on it!" He called back over his shoulder, giving them his trademark lopsided grin.

* * *

Caroline jogged quickly to the gazebo in the park, and paused for a moment to catch her breath. A few guests had already arrived and were seated in the white chairs. Caroline scanned the crowd on the bride's side.

_Please let him be here already… Please let him be here_, Caroline thought.

Meredith caught sight of Caroline and nudged Derek. Derek turned his head and waved at Caroline. She waved back half-heartedly, but despite her joke, he wasn't the man she was looking for. Then, she looked in front of him and was relieved to see Richard sitting there with Adele on the end of the row. She dashed over to them.

"Dr. Webber? I don't know if you remember me, but…"

"Of course. Addison's sister… Caroline, isn't it?" Richard recognized her from the hospital, the day that Laura had died. Caroline nodded. "How's your brain?"

Caroline waved her hand around somewhat dismissively. "It's fine, thank you."

Richard gestured to her running shorts and Columbia t-shirt. "Shouldn't you be… Well, dressed?" A pause. "Is there some kind of problem?" The concern was evident in his voice.

Caroline sighed. "There are a few problems." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Derek and Meredith exchange curious glances. They could hear everything. "I'm hoping you can help me fix at least one of them, Dr. Webber."

"Richard, please. I'll do anything I can to help Addie. What's the problem?"

"Our parents are stuck in Chicago. Ad's really upset about having to walk down the aisle alone… And, well, I know that you have a great deal of respect for each other… So I was thinking that maybe you could walk her down the aisle."

Richard smiled slightly. "I'd be honored to."

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, great… One problem solved. Can you come back to her condo with me?"

Richard gave Adele a goodbye kiss on the cheek and stood up. "Sure… So, what are the other problems?"

"You really don't want to know."

* * *

Caroline left Richard in the living room with the TV remote, and went into Addison's room to get dressed. She found Miranda, already dressed, crawling around on the floor.

"No luck, I take it?" Caroline said.

"None."

"Miranda? Why are you… Under my bed?" Addison quirked a brow at her friend as she stood in the doorway of her bedroom. Her hair and makeup was done, but she was still in her bathrobe.

Miranda cursed and withdrew from under the bed. "I... Lost an earring."

Addison studied her. "You're wearing two earrings. And you're lying."

"All right, fine!" Miranda put her hands up in surrender. "I was looking for Alex's wedding ring."

"You don't have the ring?" Addison directed her question to Caroline.

"You never _gave_ me the ring!"

"Yes, I did!" Addison argued.

"No, you didn't." Caroline was getting angry at her accusations, but she was trying very hard not to get into a screaming match with a pregnant woman on her wedding day.

"We found him!" Callie announced, not realizing that Addison was in the room, as she was positioned behind the door where Callie couldn't see her. "Oh shit."

"You found whom?" Addison crossed her arms over her chest.

"I… Uh…" Callie looked at Caroline for help.

"Okay, so I guess the whole truth about everything is coming out now!" Caroline said. "My plan sucked. George couldn't find Alex, and we couldn't find the wedding ring. We still don't know where the ring is…"

"How have so many things gone wrong?" Addison sat down on the bed and covered her face with her hands. Caroline was about to reach over to rub her arm when she noticed a glint on Addison's thumb.

"ADDIE!" Caroline shouted.

The sound startled Addison into quickly snapping her head up. "What?!"

Caroline reached for Addison's thumb and gave the golden ring around it a twist. "Is this what we've been looking for?!"

Addison looked at the ring on her finger and flushed in embarrassment. "Umm… Maybe… I knew I put it somewhere for safe keeping."

Caroline looked at Addison expectantly with her hands on her hips.

"Okay, Care, I'm sorry! Geez!" Addison suddenly remembered what Callie had said about Alex, and whirled her head around to look at her. "Okay, so what do you mean you couldn't find him?! Was he having second thoughts? Oh my God…"

"No, no, no! Nothing like that!" Callie said hurriedly. "He was just running late. You know how men are. Everything is fine now!" Callie decided to let the drama with Alex and his father be revealed to her later by Alex. Addison didn't need anything else to worry about.

"Ummm… 5 minutes, girls." Miranda said, after looking at her watch. "You, Montgomery girls. You need to get your damn dresses on!"

Caroline, never one to be shy, especially after all of her plastic surgery perfections, stripped out of her street clothes in record time and dropped her bridesmaid dress over her head. The bridesmaids' dresses were a deep shade of violet satin, tea length and a perfect for the outdoor ceremony. Addison thought that strapless would have been prettier, but opted for a halter style, since none of her three bridesmaids were exactly small chested.

While she dressed, Callie and Miranda helped Addison into her own gown was light purple, though the dress designer had given it the much more regal name of, "Victorian Lilac." The gown was satin, with a beaded lace overlay. It had cap sleeves and an empire waistline, allowing the fabric to skim over her abdomen without accentuating her small baby bump too much.

"You look beautiful, baby!" Miranda cried.

"You glow!" Callie gave Addison a squeeze.

"You look perfect. Do you have something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue?" Caroline asked timidly, as she was quickly slapping on different kinds of makeup.

Addison laughed lightly, knowing why she was asking. "Yes. _This_ time I do." At her first wedding, Addison and her bridesmaids had forgotten the something borrowed. Perhaps she should have taken it as an omen.

The four women stood in front of Addison's full-length mirror, admiring themselves.

"I think we look damn hot." Miranda decided. "Let's get going." Addison led her bridesmaids out of her bedroom.

"Richard." Addison was surprised to see her mentor sitting on her couch, watching "My Super Sweet Sixteen" with a perplexed look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Richard clicked the TV off, stood, and offered her his arm. "I'm here to walk my girl down the aisle."

Addison's face immediately brightened and she took his arm. "You're so sweet. You don't have to do this, you know."

Richard smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "How could I not want to escort such a gorgeous bride? You've never been more beautiful, Addie. I mean it. I'm not sure if I want to give you away to a guy like Karev." Richard winked, to let her know he was kidding.

Addison smiled. "What can I say… I love the guy."

Richard laughed. "That's good, because it's time to marry him. You ready?" Richard gave her arm a squeeze.

"Definitely."


	25. Chapter 25

_So, I'm glad you guys like that Richard is walking Addison down the aisle. Honestly, I just didn't want to write her bitchy mother again… LOL. Which is kind of funny, since I'm the one who made her such a snotty bitch. Plus, I thought it would be cute to have Richard do it. _

_I estimate that the wedding will probably be two more chapters. **I'm doing something different during this chapter.** I figured that just about all of you have seen a wedding, whether on TV or in person, or that you've read one. If not… Um, go do that! LOL. So, rather than writing the "Dearly beloved" stuff, I'm going to write the inner monologues of what several characters are thinking as the ceremony goes on. You'll see the name of the character in italics, followed by the monologue. You'll know what point it is in the ceremony by some "context clues" of what they are thinking. The other characters will actually have more thoughts than Addex. Got it? Cool. On with the wedding:)_

_If I left out a character that you were hoping to hear from… Um… Sorry! _

_Oh, and "Adam" is what I named Alex's brother... In case you wonder when you see that name.__

* * *

_

_Alex _

Oh my God, I'm nervous. Why am I so nervous? Why did I suggest having this wedding outdoors? I'm sweating like a damn pig. I'm not good enough for her. There's no way I'm good enough for her. What was I thinking? What was _she _thinking? She's late. I don't have a watch, but I know she's late. The groomsmen are looking at me weird. See, Alex. Adam, George, and Joe know she's late. They think she probably came to her senses and ran away… I'm starting to think the same thing. Oh my God. She didn't run away. There she is... With Richard? I wonder what happened to her parents… I hope everything is okay.

_Richard_

I can't believe I'm walking Addie down the aisle. I remember what she was like when I met her… Gosh, she was 26 back then, but she looked more like she was 19. So shy. Scared to touch a scalpel. Vomited after watching surgery a few times. And she got so mad at me that time I made her sit with that dying old lady all night… Mrs. Whittington,was it? Maybe that's what sent her to the other extreme, babies. People have to eventually die when they get old, but babies? There's the chance of saving them, of letting them lead full and normal lives. Considering what she used to be like, it's hard to believe that she's the same woman that's standing here now, top neonatal surgeon in the country… Maybe the world. Alex looks pretty nervous. He better take care of her. She's my girl, and I love her. She's the closest thing I'll ever have to a daughter. I will seriously kick his ass if he ever hurts her the way that… What is it that they call them? McYummy and McSmoky? No, wait… That's not right… I know their nicknames rhyme… Hmmm… I don't remember, but he better treat her better than Derek and Mark did. They almost destroyed her, but he helped bring her back to her old self. I do have to admire him for that. Looks like he has tears in his eyes. Maybe this will work out, after all.

_Alex_

I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. I'm going to toughen up and be a man about this. But my God, she looks gorgeous. That dress is perfect. I can't take my eyes off of her. She so sweet and beautiful, and she's carrying my children. We're going to be a family. I'm finally going to have the family that I always wished for as a kid, with love and support, like families are supposed to be. I love her so much. I can't believe I get to spend the rest of my life with her. I can't believe she said yes. I'm going to spend the rest of my life doing everything that I can to make her and our children happy. Is it raining? I feel something wet on my cheek… Damn it. I swore I wasn't going to cry… This is all so surreal…

_Addison_

He looks so handsome in his tux… And that look he's giving me? He really must love me. That smile. That same crooked smile that made me want to deck him when he was first my intern… Now it makes me melt. I hope our children inherit that from him. Aw, and he's crying! I'm not sure how we're going to get through the ceremony if we're both standing here crying! This is meant to be. I can feel it. This is going to work out between us. This is going to be "happily ever after," or as close as anyone can come to it. I can't wait to make a life with him, and raise our children. I've never felt this way about anyone before… Not even Derek. I didn't know it was possible to love someone this much. Umm… I wonder if Richard realizes he still has a hold of my arm…

_Richard_

Oh… That's right… I'm actually supposed to give her to him. I'm new at this, what can I say?

_Caroline_

Must not zone out. Must not zone out. Not that I'm not thrilled for Ads, because I am. It's just that I've been to _so many_ weddings that I think I've memorized the whole spill that the minister gives. Uh oh, there's Mark. He's late… Taking a seat in the back by himself. Why did she invite him? _Everyone_ told her not to invite him. Aw, shit, the minister is asking if anyone objects to the union… This must be the longest pause ever, buddy! Come on! Move on! Don't give him a chance to object! Dear God, please don't object, Mark, I don't want to go to jail, and I will literally murder you if you object… Damn it, he noticed me looking at him. I must have looked worried. He's shaking his head slowly. He must really be here to wish her well… I kind of feel sorry for the guy, after he told me over a year ago back in New York that he's loved her since she dumped him back in undergrad. It can't be fun to watch the woman you love marry another man not once, but twice! Oh crap, the minister wants the ring, and this time, I do have it.

_Mark_

Why does Caroline keep looking at me so nervously? Does she really think that I'm going to jump up in front of all of these people and beg Addison not to marry him and declare my undying love for her that I've been suffering through for 16 years? Please. I do have _some_ pride left. I fucked up. I know I did. I could have had her, but I lost her. She deserved better than me anyway… Better than me or Derek. But this kid? I don't know about this… Oh well. Doesn't matter now. She's made her choice. I really do hope it was a good one. I don't want to see her the way she was a year ago ever again. Hopefully, Alex will be smart enough to realize what he has, since Derek and I didn't. I've been pining after her long enough. She's pregnant with another man's children, and is exchanging wedding rings with said man at this very moment. It's time to move on. Maybe I should hook up with an intern. Seems to work out well for everyone else. Hmm… Izzie looks really good in that sundress...

_Izzie_

I'm happy for Alex, I just hope that things work out for them. I hope that he's ready to be a father. There are people who are ready to be parents at 20, and there are some people who aren't ready until they're like 40. I would have put Alex in the 40 category, but he may surprise me, and all of us. They do look cute together… I hope I find someone again, someday… Umm… Why is McSteamy looking at me like that?!

_Meredith_

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad she was marrying Alex and having his babies, not only because I want my friends to be happy, but because it makes me feel like my relationship with Derek is safer. Maybe that's selfish, but there it is. I always have this fear that he'll realize that he dropped the gorgeous one for the curves for me… The one with the body of a 2 by 4. I know it's silly, and I know he loves me… Even she has said that he never felt the way about her that he does about me. But I must say, this puts me more at ease.

_Derek_

I remember the first meal she tried to make us after we got married. After making it through medical school, I would have thought that she would have been able to interpret the directions on the back of a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese correctly. I've never seen so much smoke in my life! I know I shouldn't be thinking about the memories we have together, but this is harder to watch than I thought it would be. I can't exactly forget that she was mine for 15 years. I can't forget how excited she gets when it snows, or how she would steal half of my pickle when I wasn't looking, or how beautiful she looks when she brushes out her hair at the end of the day. I still love her. I don't want us to be together anymore, because we're not the same people we once were, but that doesn't mean that I don't love her. We shared a life, a home… Hell, we shared a child for the wonderful two days that she was with us. Yeah, she cheated on me with my best friend, but I put her through hell for months when she was trying to make things work. I don't know why we hurt each other so badly when we were so much in love for so many years. Is it some kind of weird fate? Were we meant to be together for 15 years to learn to love so that we could turn around and realize that Alex and Meredith were the loves of our lives? That seems a bit screwed up to me. It doesn't seem fair that what we had together would just be the setup for the next thing, the "real" thing. This is why I don't believe in fate. What we had together was real… But we didn't take care of it, or appreciate it. I hope that Alex and Addison will take care of it. I hope that he gives her the healthy babies that I didn't… I know that what happened to Laura isn't my fault, or hers. I know that I as a doctor. As a human being, it's a bit harder not to place blame on myself. After all of that history, I hope we can continue to be friends. I want to be her friend. I don't want her to be out of my life…

_Caroline_

Woohoo, he's kissing the bride! No more boring ceremony! Let's bring on the party! Time to go get drunk!

_Derek_

Time to go get drunk.

_Mark_

Time to go get drunk.

* * *

_The only reason people go to weddings anyway is for the open bar, right? ;)_

_Anyway, that was a bit different, but I hope you liked it. Next up, we'll have the reception with some family/friend stuff, and a moment of embarrassing hilarity for Alex and Addison._


	26. Chapter 26

_I was going to do all of this in one section, but then I realized that it would 1) be extremely long and 2) the scenes in this one have a similar comic tone. I thought that the sections would be better split up. So, that's what I did. This chapter, then one more, and the wedding will be over._

* * *

Alex sighed as what felt like the millionth picture was taken of him with Addison. He was all for memories, but how many memories could a person possibly need?

"Can you excuse us for a minute?" Alex flashed Lindsay, their photographer, a smile and pulled Addison aside.

"What is it?" Addison asked.

"Is it wrong that I have never wanted you more than I do right this minute?" Alex murmured into her ear.

"Alex!" Addison hissed. "We have a reception to get to."

"So? We could stop off for a little while… They have an open bar… No one will notice." He ran small kisses along her collarbone, sending a shock through her body.

"You want to go back to the condo?"

"I actually had a different idea…"

"What was that?"

That lopsided grin again. "I was thinking of doing it in the back of your Ferrari, somewhere in this park…"

"What?!" Addison's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?"

"What, you've never had sex in public?"

"I didn't say that…"

"So, what's the problem?"

"The problem is that I'm not in college anymore! I have a reputation to protect now! What if we get caught?"

"We won't get caught…" Alex mumbled, nibbling at her ear.

Addison let out a happy sigh and looked at him. "Okay. You can get rid of the photographer and tell her to go on to the reception. Let's get the car."

* * *

The reception was being held in a ballroom of the hotel, and featured a small bar area.

Izzie sidled up to the bar next to Mark.

"Hey, baby." The glazed over look in her eyes indicated that she had enjoyed the free alcohol.

"Drunk before the bride and groom even arrive? Very classy." Mark took another drink of his beer.

"Drinking to get over losing Addison?" Izzie asked.

"Maybe. You drinking to get over Alex?" Mark asked.

"No… Denny."

"Oh."

"Think you'll ever find someone to love like you love Addison?"

"I don't know." He stared down at his beer.

"Think anyone will ever love me like Denny did?"

"I don't know." Mark answered honestly.

"You're truthy." Apparently, drunkenness led Izzie to make up new words. "I like you, McSteamy. I saw you looking at me during the ceremony. Why don't you come home with me tonight?" Izzie purred into Mark's ear.

Mark arched a brow and pointed at the wine goblet in her hand. "How many of those have you had?"

"Two."

"Two? Two and you're drunk enough to ask me to sleep with you? Wow… I don't know whether to call you easy or a lightweight, Iz."

"So, will you?" Izzie's foot was sliding up Mark's leg.

Mark cursed himself for being a nice guy. Okay, not a nice guy. But nicer than this. "Say it when you're sober, and I'll consider it…." Mark said.

Izzie pouted. "Why not?"

"I make it a point not to take advantage of drunk women."

Izzie swayed slightly. "So you didn't fly from NYC to sleep with Addison when she was drunk and eating all of my muffins?"

Mark paused. He really had no idea what she meant by "muffins." It sounded kind of kinky. But, he knew what she was talking about, otherwise. "Okay, so I don't take advantage of drunken women the _first_ time I sleep with them."

"Seeeeee." Izzie patted his shoulder, with very little coordination. "You're a goooood guy."

"Uh huh, thanks."

"I gotta pee." Izzie said suddenly, and hopped off her barstool. She fell forward in the process, her head almost meeting her knees before Mark grabbed her arm.

"Whoa!" Izzie said. "Upside up, good. Upside down, baaaaad." She stumbled off to the bathroom.

Mark looked at the bartender and pointed to his beer. "Something stronger, maybe? Double shot of vodka, please."

* * *

Alex and Addison managed to find a secluded area of the park, and parked the car hidden between some trees.

Addison giggled. "This is kind of fun… Feels like high school or something."

Alex winked, sliding his hand between them. "I know." Addison moaned softly in response.

They were only a few minutes into the act when an insistent rap came at the window. Alex jumped and hit his head on the roof of the car.

"I don't want to turn around, I don't want to turn around…" Alex whispered.

"You better! It's a _cop_!" Addison hissed, grabbing Alex's tuxedo jacket to cover herself with.

Alex cursed and yanked up his pants. He opened the door to the car and tried to act composed, though his heart was pounding with fear. "Um, hello, officer… May I help you?"

The cop looked surprised to find two actual adults being naughty in the park, rather than a couple of teenagers. He cleared his throat and looked at Alex. "Imagine my surprise when I saw your bare ass pressed up against the window…"

"Officer, we're so sorry…" Addison's face nearly matched her hair.

"See, we… We just got married." Alex grabbed Addison's hand and showed the officer their rings, as though that would help the legality of their situation.

"Uh huh."

"Please don't arrest us on our wedding day!" Addison pleaded.

The cop fought, unsuccessfully, to keep the smirk off his face. He was trying to mess with them and instill some fear in them more than anything else. He did not intend to arrest them – he had bigger things to worry about than a couple of people having sex, like muggings or murder. But, of course, he couldn't exactly let them continue in a family-oriented place.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time. Take it somewhere else though, okay? I think you're old enough that you won't get grounded."

"Yes sir." Alex mumbled.

The officer turned around and walked away whistling, knowing that he was going to have a good story to tell his buddies back at the station, about the two "kids" he caught in the act.

Addison adjusted her dress and threw Alex's tuxedo jacket at him so that it hit him in the face. "That's the last time I ever listen to you!"

Alex laughed and glanced at his watch. "Well, that only took 45 minutes. Probably still better than most guys do with having their wives listen to them."

"Wife." Addison's face softened in realization. "I'm your wife!"

Alex gave her his lopsided grin and leaned in for a kiss. "Yes, you are, Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery-Karev."

Addison smiled. "I like the sound of that."

Alex leaned forward and kissed Addison hard. She fell under his spell for moment, then snapped out of it and pushed him back. "Okay, seriously, Alex? We just got busted by a _cop._ I think we just need to move along to our reception."

"But Ads…" Alex whined.

Addison tossed him the keys. "Come on… Good things come to those who wait." She gave him a wink.

* * *

"Three Olives Cherry and Sprite." Caroline said to the bartender, then turned to Mark. "So, I saw you with Izzie earlier… Trying to secure your own little intern treat?

Mark snorted. "Why not? Everybody else did. Seems to be the way to be happy around here." After downing a few shots of vodka, he was starting to get drunk.

Caroline took a sip of her drink. "Okay, so you're depressed about Addison."

"No, I'm not." Mark grunted.

Caroline rolled her eyes and gestured to all of the empty shot glasses in front of him. "Oh, okay, so you were just trying to pickle your insides to preserve them?"

"Something like that." Mark paused. "Why couldn't she just love me back, Care?"

"Okay, Mark." Caroline took his hand and squeezed it. "You have to get over her now… Whether you date and intern or a nurse or a… I don't know, stripper, you have to move on."

"Where's your husband?" Mark asked, suddenly changing the subject.

"New York. He had to work."

"Wanna dance?"

"Promise not to grope me?"

"You never minded when you were paying me for it." Mark grinned, leading her to the dance floor. "You know… I touched half of your body parts before they were even _on_ you."

"You're such a pervert! You'd sleep with anything with 2 X chromosomes."

"I'm just kidding! You're married."

"Never stopped you before!" Caroline gave him a pointed look as they started dancing.

Mark placed his hand over his heart. "Oh, ouch, that hurts." He stared down into her cleavage. "I did do a really good job on those.

Caroline placed her hand under Mark's chin and slapped it, forcing him to look back up at her face. "I'm up here, buddy!"

"OW! Sheesh, I'm depressed, you know! Can't I just look at some boobs?"

Caroline opened her mouth to make some smart remark, but was interrupted by Callie weaving her way through the crowd. "They're here, everyone!"

* * *

_Remember how I said I couldn't make some of this stuff up? Yeah, well.. O:)_


	27. Chapter 27

_I swear I didn't die… lol. Some of you know that I've been writing another story for a while since I got blocked on this one. But I'm back again. :)_

_And oh my gosh, I've written part of the birth because I had ideas and I really wish I could just put it up because it amuses me, but alas… It must wait for several more. If someone wants to beta the first couple of scenes of it for me and tell me whether or not it's funny, I'll send what I have to the first few people who pm me. :) I'm dying to see what other people think of it, lol._

_Here we go with the rest of the wedding!_

* * *

"Took you guys long enough! What'd you do, take a detour to screw?" Caroline asked, giving her sister a hug. 

"No, no, of course not!" Addison said a little too quickly.

Mark dropped his hand onto Addison's shoulder as though it were made of lead. "Heeeeey. Addie!"

"He's toast." Addison said with dismay.

"Nah, he's just a little tipsy." Caroline lied, and wrapped an arm around Mark's waist to guide him over to a table where Izzie and Richard were already sitting. "Come on, Mark…" She whispered to him, "I'm not going to let you make an ass of yourself.

Of course, with the busy atmosphere of the festivities, Caroline had failed to realize that she had just guided a drunken man to the woman who had been hitting on him that evening, and his former boss. A pretty waitress sidled up to Mark and gave him a wide grin.

"What are you having to drink, sweetie?" the waitress asked.

"Beer." Mark said, giving her a flirtatious wink.

"He's having water." Caroline said quickly, and got a dirty look from Mark.

The waitress looked at them strangely. "Okay… Got it."

"Behave." Caroline hissed into Mark's ear before walking away.

"Hey."

Mark turned his head to look at Izzie, smiling at her with a drunken grin. "Hey."

Izzie casually reached underneath the table and let her hand run up Mark's thigh, until she was touching his…

"Mmph!" Mark's eyes widened in shock and he faked a coughing fit to keep from groaning at her touch.

From across the table, Richard looked away from his conversation with his wife and cocked a brow at Mark. "Are you all right?"

"I'm, uh, fi---ahhh--ne." Mark's brain was telling him to remove Izzie's hand, but his body wouldn't allow him to do it.

Izzie leaned over and whispered in his ear. "You're sure you don't want to come home with me?"

"We'll discuss this on the dance floor later…" Mark murmured back. "After, it, um…" He chugged back some of his water and glanced under the table. "Goes away."

* * *

"Are you sure your mom is going to like me?" Addison whispered to Alex. "I mean, I'm eleven years older than you and I'm pregnant with your kids already and…" 

"Trust me… My mom's the least judgmental person, ever." Alex said. "But, here she comes, so, you're about to find out…"

"Alex!" a pretty woman of about fifty ran up to Alex and threw her arms around him. "I've missed you so much!"

"Hey, mom!" Alex squeezed her tightly. "I'm sure you guessed during the ceremony… But this is Addison. Addison, this is my mom, Rachel."

"Hi!" Addison stuck out her hand, but she was instead pulled into Rachel's embrace. "Oh, thanks! Nice to meet you!"

"And this is my sister… Megan." Alex ruffled the golden curls of the fifteen year old.

Megan tried desperately to fix her hair. "Nice to meet you… Alex, I'm not a kid anymore, stop it!"

"And this is my brother, Adam… He's starting law school in a few weeks." Alex explained.

"Yeah, lucky me!" Adam said, and gave Addison a hug. "Good to meet you, finally."

"Hello." There was a male voice behind Alex. Rachel inhaled sharply at the sound, and Adam put an arm around his little sister's shoulders protectively.

Alex stepped to the side to allow his father to join them. "Addison… This is… Jeff." He said simply.

"How in the hell could you have invited him?" Rachel hissed at Alex, loud enough for Jeff to hear.

"He's the only father we have, mom…" Alex said with a sigh, having expected this type of reaction.

Addison shifted uncomfortably. Ever the gracious hostess, sheextended her hand to Alex's father. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jeff… Thank you for coming."

"Hello, Rachel." Jeff said.

Rachel snorted. "Don't talk to me. Don't talk to any of us."

"Rachel, I've been clean for a year now, and…"

"A whole year? Wow. Did you want a medal for that?" Rachel shook her head and looked back at Alex. "We'll be over there." Rachel pointed to a table on the opposite side of the room and guided her younger children toward it.

Jeff sighed. "I'll be… Yeah." He walked away and sat down at a table, alone.

"You didn't tell me you invited your dad." Addison was still slightly shocked by the exchange.

"I know… I'm sorry. I had a change of heart… Last night, actually."

"He came on that short of notice?"

"Yeah… I picked him up from the airport, which is why I was missing for a while. I'm sure you heard about that."

"I did."

"Oh well. It's going to be an interesting evening. But, I don't want to talk about him. I want my first dance with my wife. Shall we?" Alex extended his arm to her.

Addison smiled. "I'd love to."

"I'll be right back." Alex left her standing alone in the middle of the dance floor while he whispered something to the DJ, who nodded and smiled. Alex dashed back over to Addison and took her in his arms just as the first notes of his song played.

_Girl, you're looking fine tonight,  
and every guy has got you in his sights  
What you're doing with a clown like me,  
is surely one of life's little mysteries _

So tonight I'll ask the stars above,  
"How did I ever win your love?"  
What did I do?  
What did I say,  
to turn your angel eyes my way?

Well, I'm the guy who never learned to dance,  
never even got one second glance  
Across a crowded room was close enough,  
I could look but I could never touch

So tonight I'll ask the stars above,  
"How did I ever win your love?"  
What did I do?  
What did I say,  
to turn your angel eyes my way?

Don't anyone wake me,  
if it's just a dream  
'Cause she's the best thing,  
that's ever happened to me

All you fellows, you can look all you like,  
but this girl, you see, she's leavin' here with me tonight

There's just one more thing that I have to know,  
if this is love why does it scare me so?  
It must be something only you can see,  
'cause girl I feel it when you look at me

So tonight I'll ask the stars above,  
"How did I ever win your love?"  
What did I do?  
What did I say,  
to turn your angel eyes my way?

_("Angel Eyes" – Jeff Healy Band)_

"I love this song…" Addison said with a smile as she rested her head on Alex's shoulder.

"I love you." Alex responded, placing a kiss in her hair. "And I chose it because it's long… I wanted our first dance to be long."

"I love you too." Addison lifted her head from his shoulder and brought her lips to his.

"Is this everything you hoped it would be?"

"Yes… Being in your arms like this… Having our children growing inside of me… I couldn't ask for more than this."

Alex laughed, kissed her nose, and pulled her closer. "I actually meant the wedding… But that's good to know, too."

"Oh!" Addison laughed. "Yes, everything turned out beautifully."

"Especially the bride." Alex said, sneaking a kiss.

When the song ended, they stood in the center of the floor, still clinging to each other – staring at each other and enjoying the elation of the day for a few moments before finally breaking apart.

"Can I cut in?" Jeff was standing behind Alex. "I'd like to meet my daughter-in-law."

"Ummm…" Alex looked at Addison, who nodded. "Okay." Alex reluctantly stepped back from Addison and crossed the room to join his colleagues. He watched Addison protectively from that part of the room as she and his dad danced.

"That's your dad, I guess?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah." Alex's eyes were still fixed on Jeff, watching his every move.

"I'm sure she's fine with him, Alex… What's he going to do with everyone standing here?" George asked.

"I know… And I know he said he's clean. But I don't trust him, at all. I can't believe that he's clean, either. You have to understand that when I see him, I picture him beating up my mom... He almost beat her to death more than once… I can't get that image out of my head. So, when I see him with my wife…"

"It's understandable." Meredith assured him, and embraced him. "But, hey, come on... Congratulations!"

"Welcome to married life." Cristina gave him a 2-second hug. "It sucks."

"Hey!" Preston said indignantly.

"I'm only kidding… It's not so bad." Cristina winked back at Preston.

"Someone please cut in…" Alex said pleadingly, still distracted by Addison and Jeff. "I really can't watch him with her. Please."

His colleagues looked at each other, surprised by his emotional admission. Derek slowly stood up. "I'll do it… If that's okay with you."

"I don't really care who does it. I just want someone to do it."

"You don't dance." Meredith said to Derek, surprised.

"I know… But I try to make exceptions for weddings." Derek said. "I need to congratulate her, anyway." Derek kissed Meredith's lips softly. "The next dance is yours though, okay?" Meredith nodded with a smile.

* * *

"I'm sure that what you have heard about me hasn't been good." Jeff said with a sigh. 

"Honestly? No, it hasn't." Addison didn't break eye contact with him.

"Have you ever made a mistake?" Jeff asked.

"Yes." Addison said. "Of course."

"One that ruined your life as you knew it?"

"Yes..." Addison said hesitantly.

"That's what happened to me the first time I picked up a heroin needle."

Addison nodded and was silent. Mistakes she could understand. She had certainly made plenty of her own, but her experience of working with abused women – namely, pregnant abused women – made it difficult for her to sympathize with a mistake of that nature.

"I want to be back in his life, Addison. I don't want to be estranged from my son anymore. I don't want to miss meeting and knowing my grandchildren."

"Then… You're going to have to earn his trust. And that won't be easy."

Jeff sighed. "I know."

Derek tapped Addison lightly on the shoulder. "Hey… How about a dance for old time's sake?"

"Old time's sake?" Addison laughed and turned to face him. "Because we did so much dancing when we were married?"

"Okay, for new time's sake then." With a charming smile, Derek whisked Addison away from Jeff and into a dance.

* * *

"I'm going to take off, Alex." Jeff said. 

"So soon?" Alex was secretly relieved that he didn't want to stick around. He didn't want to deal with the drama on what was supposed to be the happiest day of his life.

"I just wanted to see you get married, and meet your new wife… And I did that, so it's time to go."

"You don't have to go."

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, thanks for coming."

"I hope you'll be happy together… She seems like an amazing woman."

"She is." Alex said quietly, and gave his dad an awkward hug. "I'll uh… I'll see you around."

"Okay." Jeff said. He walked toward the door and turned back, giving Alex one final sad glance, which Alex didn't see, before leaving the reception.

* * *

"Did Alex put you up to this?" Addison asked Derek suspiciously, as they danced. 

"Of course not! Can't a man just want to dance with his ex-wife on her wedding day?"

"No." Addison said flatly.

"Okay, so he might have asked for someone to cut in, and I volunteered for the job."

"Why would _you_ want to volunteer? You hate to dance."

"Can't I help out a friend?"

"Alex is your friend now?"

Derek just started laughing. "Hey. What's with the third degree? Just dance and pretend to look happy about it. You're beautiful, by the way."

"Thank you…" Addison smiled.

Derek was silent for a minute. "Are you listening to this song we're dancing to? Does the DJ just _know_ that we're divorced or something?"

_Looking back on the memory of  
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above  
For a moment all the world was right  
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye _

And I, I'm glad I didn't know  
The way it all would end, the way it all would go  
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain  
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Holding you I held everything  
For a moment wasn't I the king  
But if I'd only known how the king would fall  
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all

And I, I'm glad I didn't know  
The way it all would end, the way it all would go  
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain  
But I'd have had to miss the dance

Yes my life is better left to chance  
I could have missed the pain but I'd have had to miss the dance.

_(The Dance – Garth Brooks) _

Addison laughed. "Maybe we have some sort of divorced look about us."

"It could be." Derek paused. "I'm glad that you're happy… I'm glad that he makes you happy."

"Me too." Addison smiled. "Are you happy? With Meredith?"

"Yes…" Derek said. "I'm going to ask her to marry me. I just haven't found the perfect ring yet. I've been looking… But no luck."

"Congratulations!" Addison's smile brightened. She was genuinely happy for the couple. "If you need any help, you know I happen to have great taste in diamonds…"

"Ugh." Derek groaned. "My _wallet_ definitely remembers _that_ about you."

Addison smacked him playfully on the arm and he grinned and swung her around on the dance floor.

"This is the last way that I would have expected things to turn out." Addison commented.

"Tell me about it…" Derek said with a sad smile.

"We're both happy… That's what's important."

"Yes… It is." Derek said as the last notes of the song played. They both knew that it would be their last dance, and though neither of them would have admitted it, it saddened them. "I love you, Addie." He said, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

"I love you too, Derek."

Derek nodded for Alex to come back over, and Alex jogged across the room. Derek handed Addison's hand to him, and Alex gladly drew his wife back into his arms.

"Congratulations… Take care of each other." Derek said, giving Alex's shoulder a light squeeze.

Alex nodded. "We will… Thanks, dude."

"Did your dad leave?" Addison asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"It's for the best." Alex gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Hey, they're about to serve dinner."

"Is it wrong that I don't even care?" Addison asked, placing her forehead against Alex's. "Is it wrong that I don't want to leave your arms? Not even to eat?"

"Of course not." Alex murmured before kissing her lips. "But I think that Nugget and Bean would take issue with not being fed." He broke their embrace and led her off the dance floor by her hand. "Come on, let's eat… We have our whole lives to dance."

* * *

Back on the dance floor later that evening, dancing in a way that was mildly inappropriate, Izzie and Mark were slightly more sober after getting some food into their systems. But only slightly. 

"Go home with me." Izzie begged again, running her hands slowly down Mark's body until she could grip his butt. "Nice ass you have there…"

"I grew it myself." Mark said proudly. "Look, I'm not going to go home with you… Not to Meredith Grey's house, no thanks... But I still live upstairs. We can go up there, if you're interested."

"You _still_ live in the hotel?"

"Yeah. We'll wait a while so it isn't so obvious… I'll go up first. You can follow me in a bit."

"I will. But after the bouquet is tossed." Izzie insisted.

"Okay, whatever…" Mark pressed his spare room key card into her hand. "2242." He threw her a wink and sauntered out of the room.

* * *

"So, you do dance sometimes?" Meredith asked Derek, and placed her head against Derek's chest as they danced together. Derek smiled and rested his chin on the top of her head. It was one of his favorite things about Meredith – that her head could lay against his chest that way. Addison had been far too tall to do that comfortably when standing. 

"Sometimes." He gently pressed his lips against the top of her head.

"No regrets about anything?"

"None." Derek pulled her closer. "Things don't always work out like you plan… But sometimes they work out for the best. I love you."

Meredith closed her eyes and smiled. "I love you too."

* * *

"Have a wonderful time in Cancun!" Callie said, enveloping Addison in a huge hug as the couple prepared to exit to catch their honeymoon flight. 

"Thank you! Take good care of Soleil for us." Addison gave Callie a kiss on the cheek.

"We will… George can't wait to have a cat for a week." Callie laughed.

"Thank you for everything." Addison said, pulling Miranda into a hug. "All three of you. You're the best friends a girl could ask for."

Caroline smiled and wrapped her arms around her sister. "Bye, Dr. Montgomery-Karev… You take good care of those babies." She gave Addison's stomach an affectionate caress. "Bye, little nieces or nephews or whatever you are… I'll be back out here to see you as soon as you're born!" She turned to Alex and gave him a hug. "And you! Take good care of my sister."

"Always." Alex said with a smile as he squeezed her.

"Hey, you almost forgot something!" Miranda said, and pushed Addison's bouquet toward her.

"Oh, yeah, I did forget to throw that!"

"HEY! People!" Miranda yelled so that her voice echoed against the walls of the room. "If you're unmarried, come and catch this bouquet."

A few women trickled to the floor, some willingly, some dragged by their friends, as Izzie dragged Meredith. They formed a group in front of Addison, who quickly memorized where everyone was standing. As most bouquet tosses are, this one was going to be rigged.

"Okay, everyone… Here it goes." Addison turned around and flung the bouquet over her shoulder.

She tossed the bunch of purple orchid stems directly to a shocked Meredith Grey.

* * *

_Kind of an abrupt ending, but I liked it that way for some reason. _

_I think we'll be seeing more of Rachel, Adam, and Megan… Maybe of Jeff, too, though he's not an easy character to write with. I didn't want to put a whole lot of focus on their turmoil, because it was supposed a happy day. Maybe it will give me some plot later. This was just to introduce them. :)_

_I wasn't sure what kind of song to have them have their first dance to… I hope my choice was okay. :) I didn't really see Alex as the type to go up to the DJ and request 98 Degrees or something. lol_

_We are now done with the wedding. Here's what I'm wondering. I do not have an M rating, nor do I want to change it, so I can't have any heavily sexy honeymoon scenes… lol. I have been to Cancun before, so if you want me to write a brief honeymoon chapter (probably just a few pages), I can… Or, we can move on. Up to you guys. What do you want to see?_


	28. Chapter 28

_I guess I just loved you guys today._

_This was actually more fun to write than I thought it was going to be, even without sex. ;)_

_

* * *

_

On the last afternoon of Alex and Addison's honeymoon in Mexico, Alex sighed happily on the beach as the hot sun cast sparkles onto the turquoise water. When they had first arrived, Alex had been surprised to see that the water really was blue. He leaned back and allowed the sun to beat down on his bare chest.

Alex looked at Addison, who was lying on her own towel next to him. "Addiekins?" He whispered his special nickname for her into her ear.

When she didn't respond, Alex slowly lifted Addison's sunglasses off her face and smiled when he realized she was asleep beneath them. He carefully placed them back where they belonged. While they had both enjoyed the trip, Addison had gotten very tired from all of their activities.

He ran his hand gently over her stomach, clad by a bronze bathing suit, where their babies had been growing for fourteen weeks. He had tried to convince her to wear a two-piece, but she wouldn't have it. She was too self-conscious about her changing figure, which Alex thought was silly for a neonatal surgeon – but then again, Addison had always been very concerned with appearances. Alex thought that she was beautiful, and loved the new curves that their twins had added to her physique.

Alex frowned when he noticed her skin was taking on a pinkish tinge. He reached for their bottle of sunscreen and squeezed it into his hand so that the white liquid formed a pool. His fingers gently worked the lotion into her skin. He didn't want to wake her, but he figured that the risk would be better than a sunburn.

"That tickles! What are you doing? Did I doze off?" Addison asked, rousing from her sleep.

"Just a little." Alex answered, playfully stroking her nose with his index finger. "I didn't want you to get burnt."

"I'm sorry…" Addison yawned. "I'm really not supposed to be as tired in the 2nd trimester…"

"It's okay." Alex kissed her cheek, continuing to slather the lotion onto her body. "We've had a long week."

"It's been a wonderful week though." Addison smiled. "Do we really have to go back to Seattle tomorrow?"

"Afraid so, babe."

Addison groaned. "Oh well… What has been your favorite part of the week so far?"

"You mean besides the love making?" Alex teased.

"Yes, besides that." Addison laughed.

"Mmm…" Alex nuzzled her neck. "Those Mayan ruins were pretty cool. How about you?"

"I think my favorite part is going to be later today." Addison sat up with a grin, suddenly remembering the next activity they had planned.

"Oh, the dolphins?"

"Yes, the dolphins!" Addison's face brightened.

Alex laughed at how excited she looked, like a kid, and kissed her forehead. "You're cute. Speaking of dolphins, we should probably go get ready to see them." He quickly packed their towels and sunscreen into their beach bag and stood, offering Addison his hand.

"People have been smiling at us all week…" Addison observed as they walked back up the beach to their hotel.

"I noticed that, too."

"Maybe it's because we look so happy?" Addison suggested.

"Nah, I think it's because you're so beautiful. Actually, I think it's the hair." Alex playfully ruffled her red locks. "You're pretty rare in the U.S., but you're _really_ rare here."

"Do you think our babies will have red hair?"

"I hope so." Alex winked at her.

"What do you think they'll look like?"

"When they're born? Really little, really pink, kinda wrinkly, and probably screaming their heads off."

Addison shook her head. "You're no fun."

Alex gave her a gentle tap on the butt. "I know."

* * *

An hour and a half later, they stood waist deep in the water on a platform at Isla Mujeres, an island accessible from Cancun by boat. They were accompanied by a dolphin trainer named Iguano and a dolphin named Bubbles – who had her mouth open, waiting for Alex to touch her tongue.

"Um. I don't think so. Sorry, Bubbles."

"You'll touch the internal organs of a human being, but you won't touch a dolphin's tongue?" Addison asked, amused.

"Exactly. Animal mouths creep me out."

Iguano signaled for Bubbles to splash Alex by tossing water at him from her mouth. Alex laughed, wiping the water from his face, and looked back at Iguano. "Gracias."

"Here, I'll touch your tongue, Bubbles." Addison reached her hand into the dolphin's mouth and stroked her tongue, laughing. "It feels… Weird!"

Addison was rewarded with a hug from Bubbles. "She feels like vinyl… I always thought that they would feel smoother."

Iguano tossed Bubbles a couple of small fish. She moved back over to Alex and Iguano blew on his whistle a few times. "Baila!"

"What does 'baila' mean?" Alex asked Addison, whom he had learned spoke not only French, but also Spanish.

"It means dance!"

Alex laughed and gently held onto Bubbles fins, moving his hips back and forth with her. Iguano laughed and blew on his whistle again. Bubbles pressed her nose against Alex's lips.

"Hey, you better watch it, Bubbles!" Addison teased the dolphin, her eyes dancing. Alex smiled when he realized how happy she looked.

Iguano blew the whistle a final time and Bubbles moved in between Alex and Addison, posing with her mouth slightly open as though she was smiling. A photographer on the side ledge captured the moment.

"So, was this your favorite part?" Alex asked.

"Yes… Well, second favorite… After the obvious." Addison winked.

"What would the obvious be?" Alex feigned ignorance.

"I'll show you later…"

* * *

That night, after the final love making session of their honeymoon, Addison's head rested comfortably on Alex's chest.

"This is heaven…" Addison murmured.

"I know…" Alex stroked her hair softly. "I'm sorry that we have to leave tomorrow."

Addison moved her head so that she was looking up at him. "No… Not Cancun. I meant your arms." She smiled slightly.

"Oh, then that's a good thing, because those will be coming back to Seattle with us."

Addison smacked his arm playfully and closed her eyes. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For giving me everything I've always wanted."

* * *

_So, there we go… One little honeymoon chapter._

_For some reason, when I was in Mexico, the locals really did seem to like my red hair… So that's why I threw that in. _

_T__he name Iguano is a nod to the super awesome snorkeling instructor I had in Cancun. lol. :) _

_Oh, and when I went swimming with dolphins in the Bahamas, the trainer really did have the dolphins open their mouths for us to touch their tongues… lol. One of those things I couldn't make up._

_I'm starting to run out of steam for this story, after 28 chapters and making them all happy and what not… But I really want to make it until at least the birth of the twins… So, reviews would be appreciated to help me forge onward. :) I get super excited when I get them and it helps the ideas flow. End of begging. ;)_

_Up next, the honeymoon's over, and Alex and Addison will face the challenges of living together as a married couple. ;)_


	29. Chapter 29

_So, the doctor says I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome, between work, school, and my writing hobby… At 22. Pssh, what do doctors know anyway:)_

* * *

In the two weeks that Addison and Alex spent getting settled into life together after their honeymoon, she learned many things about him.

When he watched TV, his facial expressions would change in accordance to whatever was going on with the show's storyline. If something was happy, he would grin. If it was sad, he would furrow his brow and frown. Addison had never seen someone get so into watching TV.

He also had a comment for every single commercial that came on the air.

Alex had once turned off a tampon commercial in disgust. "I know we're doctors and all, and it shouldn't bother me… But, can't they just say, 'Yeah, that one thing every month? We're good at it.'"

He frequently found the sexual innuendo in commercials, as well. "The best thing's when you stick them in your mouth? Whooaaa, Steak-Ums are dirty." Addison had rolled her eyes at that one. He was still a high school kid at heart.

Her favorite Alex reaction came when they were lounging in bed, scouring the newspaper for larger houses where they could comfortably raise two children.

"That sounds really good… Salmon Florentine. Mmm…" Alex said, half-listening to a commercial as he read one of the house's descriptions.

"Alex." Addison, who was actually watching the TV, stifled a giggle. "That… That was a cat food commercial."

"What?" Alex's head snapped up to look at the screen. "No, it wasn't… It said something about a restaurant."

"It said it was restaurant-_inspired_ cat food!"

"What? It said something about garden greens too! What the hell does a cat need with garden greens?!" Soleil, who was resting in between them, snapped her head up and looked at him, as though she had understood what he said. "Sorry, Solly."

Addison shook her head and stood up. "On that note, I have to pee."

And then, in the bathroom, she was reminded of all of the things Alex did that weren't so cute.

An empty roll hung on the toilet paper roll holder, while the new roll that had been started sat on the side of the sink. In the sink, she saw that Alex hadn't managed to clean up his hair from the last time he shaved. Addison took a deep breath, counted to five, and released it. Alex was a slob, and his lack of regard for cleanliness extended beyond the bathroom. He seemed to have a fear of their dishwasher, leaving his dishes in the sink, even if the dishwasher was empty.

"Alex…" Addison began as she exited the bathroom. She was ready to let him know exactly how much his messiness bothered her… And not too nicely.

Alex gave her his trademark grin and pulled her down beside him. Before she could say anything else, his lips were on her neck and she let out soft moans as his thumbs ran over her breasts.

"What is it, baby?" Alex murmured.

"Nothing…" Addison said with a sigh, her hands working at Alex's pajama pants.

Damn. Why did he always have to do that to her?

* * *

"We're mixing things up today, people." Miranda announced to her group the following morning. "Yang, you're with Shepherd. Grey, Montgomery-Karev. Karev, Torres. O'Malley, Burke… And Stevens, you're with Sloan today."

"No, no!" Izzie pleaded. "Anyone but Sloan! Stick me in the pit, stick me with a proctologist… Just anyone but Sloan!"

Addison, who was passing by on her way down the hall, paused and pretended to be checking on something at the nurse's station, interested in this exchange.

"Stevens! What the hell is your problem?" Miranda demanded.

"I just can't!" Izzie said quietly.

"Fine. Switch with O'Malley. You'll be with Burke, he'll be with Sloan."

Izzie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you!"

Meredith walked over and joined Addison. "Hey… I'm with you today."

"Okay, great." Addison smiled at her, then cast a side glance to Izzie. "Uhh… What was that all about?"

"You mean you've been back for 2 weeks and you haven't heard?" Meredith asked.

"No, I haven't. Fill me in here."

"Well…" Meredith said. "She won't confirm it. But we have hypothesized that they got drunk and screwed after your wedding."

"Mark… And Izzie?!"

"That surprises you?"

"Not on Mark's end… But on hers? Yes, kind of."

"Maybe she just wanted to join the club and sleep with a superior?" Meredith suggested with a hint of a smile.

Addison laughed. "Could be. All right, enough gossip. We have a hysterectomy this morning. Can you prep the patient?"

"Of course." Meredith said.

"Thanks." Addison handed her the chart, then turned to Miranda. "Hey, how are you?"

"I'm good… How are things going with you and Alex?" Miranda asked.

Addison laughed bitterly. "Well, um… That girl should be thanking me." Her eyes shifted to Meredith's retreating figure.

Miranda looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Because thanks to me, she got a fully trained man. He puts the toilet seat down. He's not afraid of the dishwasher. I spent 13 years - 2 years when we lived together, and 11 we were married - training that man… So now she has a trained man and now I have a frat guy… And I think I'm too old to train this one." Addison said it with a humorous air, but Miranda could detect her annoyance with Alex.

"Honeymoon's over, huh? Things will get better…" Miranda assured her. "Have you talked to him about it?"

Addison hesitated. "I've… Hinted…"

"Damn it, he's a _man_, Addison. You can't hint. You have to smack him across the face with it, plainly. You know that. I'm surprised that you're having a problem with this anyway. You never cared to yell at him before."

"I know." Addison said. "It's just that we've been so happy and I don't want to spoil it..."

Miranda crossed her arms. "You'll make it worse if you don't tell him, because you'll start to get grouchy and bitter towards him, then you'll get hormonal, then one day you'll explode into a complete bitch-fest and he'll think it's coming out of no where and _that _will _really_ cause a problem."

Addison sighed. "Maybe you're right."

Miranda squeezed her shoulder. "Of course I'm right."

* * *

"Richard?" Addison poked her head into her mentor's office a few minutes later. She was surprised to find him, for the second time that month, watching "My Super Sweet 16" on the TV he usually used to watch tapes of surgery.

Had she been anyone else, Richard might have been embarrassed, but he had enough dirt on Addison to last him for a lifetime. "I can't stop watching it… It's so ridiculous… It's like a train wreck. I just can't look away." He paused for a moment, watching. "Did you have all of this for your 16th birthday, Addie?"

Addison glanced at the screen, where a teen was making her grand entrance. "No, Richard, I can honestly say that I never rode an elephant at any my birthday parties."

"Did you get a car?" Richard asked, his eyes still glued to the screen. "It seems to be all about the big entrance… And the cars… Expensive cars that cost more than my education."

"I did get a car." Addison admitted. "But I don't think it cost more than your education."

"Anyway, how's my favorite mama?" Richard asked as he finally clicked off the TV and walked over to her.

"I'm great! I just haven't seen you since I've been back, so I thought I'd stop in to chat… I heard you decided to take a vacation with Adele… Did you two have a good time?"

"We just got back and we had a _wonderful_ time in Hawaii." Richard embraced her. "We even renewed our vows… Thanks to you, getting us to talk to each other again."

"I'm just glad it worked!"

He kissed her forehead then released her. "How about your honeymoon?"

Addison sighed happily. "Paradise.'

Richard looked her up and down. "Still wearing high heels?" Richard frowned at her 3-inch stilettos and shook his head at her. "Are you crazy, honey?"

Addison looked down at her feet and shrugged. "I'll give them up when my ankles swell… Or when the bump gets so big that I can't keep my balance and I start toppling over. Whichever comes first."

He touched her stomach lightly. "You're getting big. 16 weeks?"

Addison nodded and placed her hands on her hips in mock anger. "Thanks a lot. I come to see you and you call me fat!"

"You know I mean that in a good way! How are my grandbabies doing?" Richard asked.

Addison smiled. It wasn't uncommon for him to refer to Addison as though she was his daughter; really, he had been more of a father to her than her own, at times. "They just keep growing and growing…"

"And how's my new son-in-law?"

Addison made a face. "He's a messy boy."

"Do I need to have a talk with him?" Richard puffed out his chest.

"No, no…" Addison laughed. "I have it covered. I do have a question for you, though"

"Yeah?"

Addison sighed. "We're so happy now… It's almost like we're normal people. Do you think it's possible for two surgeons to be normal people?"

"If anyone can pull it off, it's you, Addie." Richard reached out and gave her hand a squeeze.

"I know that Derek and I had normal, happy lives for a few years after we were married… But I can't figure out where it went wrong. That worries me. I think that if I could figure out where it went wrong, I could prevent it from happening again."

"Addison… Alex is a different person than Derek. You and Alex have a different relationship. You'll have a whole different set of issues."

"That's true…"

"There are no guarantees, Ad. There's only one thing you can do. You have to learn to take the initiative with your lives as they change, and do that together, as a couple. You can't let the changes in your lives change you to the point where you can't come to each other anymore. Does that make sense?"

"Sort of."

"You have a lot of change coming." Richard said, pointing to Addison's stomach. "But you can handle it, if you work together. You and Derek… Well, he was absent when there was change… When there was trouble. Am I right?"

Addison nodded.

"I don't think Karev is like that."

"Me neither." Addison said softly.

"Come on." Richard gave her another hug. "Don't look so glum. You said you're happy, so enjoy being happy. You'll work through whatever comes your way. I'm always here if you need me."

Addison smiled. "Thanks, Richard."

* * *

"Hey." Addison entered the kitchen at the end of the day to find Alex at the breakfast bar, drinking a glass of milk. "We need to talk." Might as well cut to the chase, Addison had decided.

"What's wrong?" Alex knit his brow.

"Okay, Alex, there's no nice way to put this… So here it goes." Addison took a deep breath. "You're a McSlob."

"I'm what?!" Alex's eyebrows jumped.

"A McSlob." Addison repeated. "You're McMessy."

"I'm not McMessy!" Alex argued.

"Okay, except that you are." Addison crossed the room to the sink. "Dishes are sitting in the sink. We have a dishwasher, and I swear, it won't hurt or eat you." Addison opened the dishwasher door for effect. "Alex, this is the McDishwasher. McDishwasher, meet Alex. See, now you're practically old friends, so you should feel comfortable putting your dishes in it."

"Damn Addison… You're just McMean." Alex crossed his arms. "What about _your_ high heels?"

"What?"

"Every day, you walk in and kick off your high heels in our living room." Alex stared pointedly at the spot in the living where, sure enough, her stilettos had been abandoned. "I almost trip over them every day. So, McCareless, if I start putting my dishes in the McDishwasher, are you going to put your shoes away?"

Addison sighed. "Deal. But there's also the bathroom."

"What about the bathroom?" Alex asked, exasperated.

"Change the roll of toilet paper! And for God's sake, if there's one sheet left on it, just use it! Why would you leave _one_ sheet on the roll?"

"Because I'm trying not to be McWasteful!"

"Well, you're being McAnnoying instead!"

"Listen here, McKnocked Up…" Alex tried to stare Addison down sternly, but he eventually broke into laughter. Addison followed suit, and the two were soon holding each other up to keep from falling over with their loud giggles.

"Okay… Okay…" Addison gasped for air. "Seriously, though…"

"I'll try to be neater, McHot. Okay?"

"I'll try not to leave my shoes everywhere, McCutie."

Alex trailed his fingers down her sides and pulled her against him. "How about some McSex?"

Addison grinned wickedly. "It could be arranged…"

_

* * *

_

…_I don't know, lol. I hope the Mc's didn't get too annoying. I threw a few in to lighten the situation, and I got carried away… lol. :)_

_Special thanks to Fancy Feast for the ridiculous commercial, which made my boy say funny stuff, which gave me writing material. Boys are great writing material. Everyone should own one._

_And special thanks to my boy's roommate for being a total slob and giving me ideas for McSlob Alex._

_Up next… Addison drives Alex crazy by trying to take over her own treatment at her doctor's appointment._


End file.
